LGBT Rights

a)Name and describe the myth.

Name​ - The myth about the LGBT community being impure or different from us.
Describe​ - In India the people who belong to the LGBT community are considered as Impure and
as the ones who are a blot on the culture. People discriminate against these people.Not only in
India, Before 1960s-70s there used to be very strict laws against homosexuals in even in
countries like England where ‘The Sexual Offences act’ -1962 was the first to decriminalised
homosexual acts between two men over 21 years of age ​in private​ in England and Wales. If we
would have never had such myths in our thoughts who knows what greats like Alan Turing would
have been able to achieve.
b) Identify the broad structure, argument and key symbols of the myth.
Broad structure​ - LGBT rights stand for rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. These
terms describe people’s sexual orientation or gender identity. But these people face violence and
inequality, torture and even execution, just because of who they love, how they look, or who they
are. It is considered that they behave against the “natural order” and hence have no right to even
exist. Moreover, it was believed that​ HIV/AIDS is a "gay disease".
Argument​ - Sexual orientation and gender identity are integral aspects of ourselves and should
never lead to discrimination or abuse.
Key symbols​ - Attraction towards the same gender, disrespect from society, changing mindset
c) Describe the switch from the past to the present and provide the rationale for
such a switch in terms of the fear, desire, emotion or aspiration the myth is
trying to address or realize?
Switch​ - Recent uplifting of IPC section 377 in India and LGBT right marches around the world
make it seem that the myth of LGBT rights has made a switch from history where it was not
“allowed”, to now being allowed. But this is incorrect. On deeper study, it comes out the myth has
switched twice in history. Historical proofs as old as 2450 BC to 1322 AD have been found
suggesting prevalent LGBT culture and acceptance, even in royal communities. Then came an
era from about 1347 AD to 1936 AD of intense violence against such people, and finally, starting
in the ’50s till the present, a widespread awareness regarding rights of LGBT people.
​Fear​ - ​ ​Going against the “natural order” of a man and a woman together was feared by every
LGBT person. The societies always accused such people of being “abnormal” and so possessing
no place in the community. But an increase in LGBT population and support for them has lead to a
decrease in this fear.
Desire​ - Researches have shown that love or emotional attraction is not dependent on gender, but
on traits and features of the other person. Liking a particular trait is perfectly subjective and
normal. So the desire to engage with the same gender has driven this myth over the ages.
Emotion​ -​ ​There are lots of emotions attached to this myth - love, fear, sadness, aggression,
reluctance, inferiority complex.
Aspiration​ - The desire to have respect which they feel they deserve. The desire to have equality
and harmony with the community and society.

The above graph shows increasing support for same-sex marriage. Earlier same-sex marriages
were not accepted and were considered against the order of nature or immoral. But now society is
accepting them and percentage of support for same-sex marriage has increased.

References:
● Image-​http://religiondispatches.org/more-americans-support-than-oppose-same-sex-marria
ge-for-first-time/
● https://www.hrw.org/topic/lgbt-rights
● https://www.glsen.org/article/lgbtq-history-1
● (​https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_LGBT_history,_20th_century​)