Should gay marriage be allowed in India

Gay marriages - as this idea is a life style, its effect on all walks of life and beliefs of people in a country shall be studied to judge this question. No doubt in the past 50 years, social life has been under continuous change with the introduction and propagation of globalization. 'Gay (same sex) marriages'; is one of those topics which has come up often for discussion. India is no exception to this but as a country which has a significant cultural history; this question shall be investigated from many aspects. The following paragraphs outline some of the grave concerns on why or why not gay marriages should be allowed in India.

Why must gay marriages be allowed in India, is a pertinent question. Logically speaking, every citizen has a fundamental right to life guaranteed by the Indian constitution. This may be interpreted as- if a citizen chooses a gay partner in his/her life, it may be allowed. As marriage is a legal way of binding two people, the gay relationship can be legalized through marriage which will prevent the cases of illegitimate secret relations. Another logical point is respect. A satisfactory personal life is as much a right of gay couples as straight couples.

As an opposing argument it can be asked as to why they must not. This question arises from the inherent idea- 'is leading a gay life correct?"

One fundamental reason for this line of questioning is the growth and development pattern of the human brain and conscience. As a recognized and involved member of society, man is raised with certain traditional notions of life and the way of living. Even though not present as a written commandment, a majority of society grows up the idea of thinking heterosexual relations( relations with members of the opposite sex) as the right way of living and homosexual (same sex) as wrong. No wonder in India, this is still a jaw dropping question to at least 50% of India's population.

Some of the grave concerns in this aspect are the aversion felt towards gay couples; the humiliation and discrimination faced by them because of society and the negative effect on friendships and familial relationships. There are also doubts on how would the (adopted) kids of a gay couple be raised, potential problems they would face in their lives and several other related questions.

Religious interpretation of gay marriage/ relation is another reason worth a thought. Since, the majority people in India are relatively more religious as compared to more developed countries in the west, religious acceptance becomes very important. As homosexual relationships have been widely questioned by many religious leaders and associations, the followers may interpret gay marriage/ relation as a sin.

The recent incident of discrimination towards a gay professor of Aligarh Muslim University from many quarters and his mysterious death is an example how hard it is to lead a gay life publicly. It may be understood that there would be a relatively greater threat to security of gay couples in under-developed/ rural areas.

With all the rich cultural history India has to offer and its numerous scientific achievements it's hard to conclude with a concrete answer as to whether gay marriages should be allowed in India or not. In conclusion, it comes to individual interpretation of 'what is correct and what is not'. Thus when majority of Indian citizens accept it is a way of life, gay marriages must definitely be allowed.

-Aditya Victory