Port Louis - Homosexuals on the conservative Indian Ocean island of Mauritius say they want protection against discrimination built into new human rights legislation.
Three days after staging the island-state's first-ever gay rights rally, the small but increasingly vocal homosexual community on Mauritius said on Tuesday that sexual orientation must be included in the law to be debated by parliament in July.
"Currently there is a gap in the law concerning homophobia in Mauritius," said Jean-Luc Ahnee, spokesperson for the Collectif Arc-en-ciel (Rainbow Coalition), an organisation representing Mauritian gays.
"Homosexuality is neither legal nor illegal, so if a victim of sexual discrimination complains to the police, they have no legal reference," he said.
"That is why we are insisting that the Equal Opportunity Bill has provisions on discrimination based on sex, race or religion," Ahnee said.
Although Mauritian law does not explicitly outlaw homosexuality, gays here complain of rampant social discrimination despite provisions in the constitution designed to prevent such bias.
In a bid to draw attention to their demands, on Saturday the coalition sponsored a rally attended by about 300 colourfully dressed homosexuals and their backers, who called for equal rights.
"Visibility, equality and liberty", "No to homophobia", "I love the way I love" and "My sexuality, my choice", read some of their banners.
The rally passed off peacefully without any incidents but it remained unclear whether the government would support efforts to write sexual orientation into the draft law.
Justice Minister Justice Rama Valayden said the constitution already protected homosexuals, along with other minority groups, from discrimination. - Sapa-AFP