Section 377

Section 377 of the penal code in 42 former British colonies criminalizes anal sex between men and other homosexual acts. The provision was introduced by British colonial authorities in the British Raj as section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, and was used as the model for sodomy laws in many other British colonies, in many cases with the same section number.

The prohibition of homosexual acts is provided for in section 377 of the penal codes of India, Malaysia, Singapore (see Section 377A of the Penal Code of Singapore), Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Maldives and Jamaica. It is the model for similar laws that remain in force in Bhutan, Brunei, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu, Samoa, Malawi, Mauritius, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Ghana, The Gambia, Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. It was the model for since-repealed laws in Australia, Fiji, Hong Kong, and New Zealand.

See also

• Section 377 of the Penal Code (Singapore)
• Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code
• Sodomy law