New Delhi, July 2 (IANS) "Historic!" That is how the film and fashion fraternities have hailed Thursday's Delhi High Court judgement decriminalising gay sex. Hailing India as great, they said the verdict would give more independence to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community.

Hairstylist Sylvie, who is a homosexual, said "this is a day to go down in history". "This is a day to go down in history that a place like India has come to terms with the issue with a big touch of humanity and definitely recognised citizens' comfort of being open about their sexuality," Sylive told IANS.

Tarun Mansukhani, whose film "Dostana" starring John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan lightheartedly touched upon homosexuality, hailed the court's decision.

"'Dostana' as a film only brought the subject into public limelight and had people speak about it and created a certain amount of awareness and acceptance among people - but what the court has done today shows that we do live in a great country," Mansukhani told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

"Today, they (gays) have an identity, their independence - it's a great country," he added.

On Thursday, the Delhi High Court struck down section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that called homosexuality and unnatural sex a criminal act. It said equality and inclusiveness were the tenets of the constitution.

Director Onir, who handled the gay issue in his film "My Brother Nikhil" in a realistic way and received critical appreciation for his endeavour, says the court's verdict sends out a strong message to everyone.

"At the moment, this is a judgement that has been passed by the Delhi High Court. So it doesn't stand for the entire country. The government is still to approve it and implement it, but a very strong message has been sent. It's a very big step and I hope that the legislature implements it," he said.