(Bloomberg) -- Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has cleared the way for lawmakers to rule on a bill that would decriminalize homosexuality and change the island nation's decades-old laws on same-sex relationships.
The speaker of parliament, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, said Tuesday that the Supreme Court green-lit a floor debate and vote on the bill. The court ruled that amending Sri Lanka's penal code isn't unconstitutional, he said.
“The Supreme Court this week has taken a very important step in recognizing that all citizens are equal before the law, have equal protection of the law and that human dignity underpins the application of all fundamental rights,” said Bhavani Fonseka, senior researcher at the Colombo-based Center for Policy Alternatives.
She said the court's ruling “sends a clear message to society, to the government and to the legislature to seize this historic opportunity and to usher in long overdue reform.”
Sri Lanka's push to expand LGBTQ rights comes as India's Supreme Court considers petitions to recognize same-sex marriage, building on a string of rulings that enshrine legal protection for the community. Hearings in New Delhi are set to conclude in the coming days and a ruling is expected within a few months.
The bill in Sri Lanka, gazetted in April, no longer counts as a punishable offense the sexual conduct between two consenting adults of the same sex. The bill was proposed by a member of Sri Lanka's 225-seat parliament, which hasn't yet set a date for a debate or vote.
--With assistance from Asantha Sirimanne.
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