Almost half Indian millennials favour marriage equality

In a landmark judgment, the US Supreme Court on Friday guaranteed right to same-sex marriage nationwide. The legal milestone is in step with sentiment among millennials around the world, including India -- where nearly 49 percent of them support marriage equality, according to a recent study.

The Next Normal, a study by Viacom International Media Networks Insights, spanned over 20 countries, included 15,000 interviews and revealed global trends among the generation belonging to the age group of 12-30 years at the turn of the century.

A key trend revealed by this project was that a majority of global millennials agreed that "all people should have the right to marry whomsoever they choose, including same-sex couples".

In countries where same-sex marriage is already legal and accepted, the issue enjoys the widest support. Some of the nations according widespread support to same-sex marriage are: the Netherlands - 83 percent, Spain - 81 percent, Sweden - 81 percent, Germany - 78 percent, Canada - 78 percent and Argentina 78 - percent.

A study of web respondents of all ages by The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) found that the more tolerant a country's legislation is toward same-sex marriage, the more the residents of that country support it.

However, homosexuality remains illegal in India after the Supreme Court upheld Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code in 2013 and refused to read it down to exclude same sex relationships between consenting adults, calling the LGBT community "miniscule".