Are we ready for gay rights?
India is the world's largest democracy. The denizens are given the right to exercise their freedom and live the way they want to. However, some people are not even able to vote on grounds of their sexual orientation. Though, India continues to carve a niche for itself in the world economy, homophobia still prevails in the country. India has a deeply conservative society, where even heterosexuality is talked about in hushed tones. Homosexuality is accepted mostly in the urban areas. In the rest of the country, they are still treated as the beleaguered class, who have a long battle in front of them to be treated as equals in the society. Since ages homosexuality has been seen as a crime.
Over the years, a lot of horrendous things have been done in the name of GOD. The opposition of the religious leaders is also on the same basis. They majorly cite two reasons for this. Firstly, according to the law of nature, a family comprises of a man, woman and children. There is no place in the society for man and man, or for woman and woman. So homosexuality goes against the order of nature according to the religious pundits. Secondly, India has a rich and ethnic culture. So, legalising homosexuality goes against the social and moral values.
Many people feel that sex does not define an individual. It is only a small part of your life. But for people belonging to the LGBT (lesbian gay bisexual and transgender) community are subject to a lot of torture because of their sexual orientation. They are not given passports, ration cards, election ID cards. They are also deprived of employment. Very often they get bashed by the police and later on embarrassed by them. They are also subject to sexual harassment. Mental health professionals try to give them shocks and cure them of their illness. They are the butt of many insensitive jokes and comments.
Gays are still a minority section in India. They are and probably will be never be a majority section in India. But with gays coming out in the open to claim for equal rights in the society they are just more visible. Many gay pride protests are being held in major cities. Many pubs and discotheques of major cities also have gay night's atleast once a week. These things were unimaginable a few years ago. Educational institutions are giving sex education to the students to make them more aware. They play a major role in educating students about safe sex and prevent diseases like HIV/AIDS. However, when it comes about homosexuality they are still a little wary.
Section 377 of Indian Penal Code makes sex of the same gender punishable upto with up to ten years in prison. Adult citizens were not given the right to live their life with full freedom. This is not what India's democracy should indicate. Democracy does not only indicate the freedom to vote ,but also the freedom to live life without any compulsion. People still have to hide their sexual orientations from their family members and relatives.
However, in a recent landmark ruling, Delhi high court struck down section 377. Gays celebrated as homosexuality was decriminalised. Though there would be no tectonic shift in the behaviour of the people, but gays would not be treated as criminals and will be able to take recourse against their decriminalisation. The judgement has been hailed as a great example by the people and it should be followed by other countries also. It is a positive sign for homosexuals as it can bring an end to the thinking of the British colonial era of following the law of nature.
However, the negative side of this is that gays expressed their happiness by public displays of affection. Gays came out in the open to kiss each other. They have to understand that consensual sex has been allowed among matured adults in their privacy. Any violation of this rule is not allowed for anybody is it hetero or homosexuals.
In the last few years LGBT are gaining acceptance in many parts of India. Many bollywood films have dealt with homosexuality. They have also faired well at the box office. The youth are also welcoming the change. My personal perspective would be that everybody is entitled to be themselves as long as no one creates any law and order problem. Indian society needs to shrug off its old thinking and come out of the widely prevailing homophobia.
By
Sovna Mohanty
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