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#BBCtrending: the battle for gay rights on social media

  • Published
    13 December 2013
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Media caption,

Gay for a day

By BBC Trending
What's popular and why

The issue of gay rights has trended worldwide several times this week - following developments on legislation regarding same-sex relationships in a number of countries.

India's Supreme Court on Wednesday reinstated a ban on same-sex partnerships after a four-year period of decriminalisation. The court ruled that only India's parliament could change Section 377, which describes a same-sex relationship as an "unnatural offence" that is punishable by a 10-year jail term. Hashtags about the ruling trended on Twitter, including: #sec377 #scrap377 and #LGBT.

In Australia, legislation allowing gay marriage in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) was overturned. Meanwhile in Russia, gay rights groups are calling for increased pressure on the International Olympic Committee ahead of next year's Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.

#BBCtrending's Anne-Marie Tomchak investigates the social media tactics being used by LGBT supporters.

Follow @BBCtrending, external on Twitter and tweet using #BBCtrending, external.

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