S0CIAL

ACCEPTANCE
0F SEX0AL
NIN0RITIES.
CCn1LMC8A8? lnulA
A SCClCLCClCAL
L8SLC1lvL PS2190
SAPl1P?A v PS10P030
nello oo Jo oot koow me veo tbe people otoooJ me Joot teolly koow me 8ecoose l bove o
sectet sometbloq lve kept to my wotlJ fot o vety looq tlme sometbloq l wlsb to teveol 8ot oot
coofess tbot mokes lt soooJ ctlmlool l oeeJ closote ooJ fot tbot l most be ttoe to myself 5o
bete qoes
lm qoy

Welcome Lo Lhe world of homosexuallLy!!
Cay people exlsL everywhere ln Lhe world even aL ll1 M 1haL was Lhe comlng ouL sLaLemenL of
a gay person sLudylng aL ll1M And he ls normal Pe ls noL a crlmlnal Pe ls noL a slnner Pe does
noL have a conLaglous unlmaglnable dlsease Pe ls [usL llke everybody else wlLh hopes
asplraLlons love and full of llfe And he llves amongsL us
1hls paper ls an aLLempL Lo undersLand homosexuallLy and Lhe socleLal aLLlLude Lowards
homosexuallLy lL ls also an efforL Lo break Lhrough Lhe lnvlslblllLy and sllence LhaL socleLy has
Lrled Lo Lhrow over people slmply because of Lhelr sexual orlenLaLlon And Lhe focus ls on
homosexuallLy amongsL oLher sexual mlnorlLles
PomosexuallLy ls romanLlc or sexual aLLracLlon beLween members of Lhe same sex or gender lL
ls one of Lhe Lhree maln sexual orlenLaLlons along wlLh heLerosexuallLy and blsexuallLy ln
addlLlon Lo belng a sexual orlenLaLlon lL has now become an ldenLlLy for mllllons of people
around Lhe world 1he socleLal aLLlLude Lowards homosexuallLy and homosexual acLs have
elLher been admlred or condemned aL varlous polnLs ln hlsLory and dependlng on Lhe culLure ln
whlch Lhey occurred
Powever for mosL parL of Lhe hlsLory Lhe ldea of homosexuallLy or samesex aLLracLlon has
been an ob[ecL of represslon 1he long hlsLory of homosexuallLy has been rlddled wlLh dogma
dlscrlmlnaLlon and deaLh uesplLe a long hlsLory Lhe condlLlon of llves of homosexual people
around Lhe world especlally ln lndla has hardly seen any lmprovemenL undersLandlng of Lhe
ldea of homosexuallLy and of Lhe fleld ln my oplnlon ls essenLlal because homosexuals
consLlLuLe Lhe largesL sexual mlnorlLles ln Lhe world and lL ls a maLLer of securlng a llfe Lo Lhose
concerned
nIS1Ck CI nCMCSLkUALI1
20
Lh
cenLury anLhropologlcal sLudles have presenLed evldence and exposed Lhe presence of
homosexuallLy ln many prlmlLlve anclenL socleLles and Lrlbal culLures AnLhropologlsLs have
observed samesex eroLlc play among adolescenLs boLh beLween malemale and female
female Some culLures have seen Lhls as a safe way Lo learn abouL sexuallLy slnce such play
cannoL produce chlldren
ln anclenL LgypL a number of varlaLlons ln sexual behavlor were observed Lhough Lhey were
noL always done for pleasure 8aplng anoLher man was consldered only as an acL of aggresslon
a means of galnlng power over Lhe adversary 1be book of tbe JeoJ speaks of lL as a vlrLue Lo
noL have commlLLed a homosexual acL ln a dream book for a woman lL ls sald lf she dreams
LhaL a woman has lnLercourse wlLh her she wlll come Lo a bad end"
1he earllesL hlsLory of Lurope LhaL of anclenL Creece and anclenL 8ome deplcL a world ln
whlch relaLlonshlps wlLh women and relaLlonshlps wlLh young boys were Lhe baslc canvas of a
man's love llfe 1hey llved ln a culLural envlronmenL ln whlch all marrled men could en[oy sexual
relaLlons wlLh Lhelr male slaves wlLhouL fear of crlLlclsm from Lhelr peers normal sexual llfe
conslsLed of Lwo classes men Lhe peneLraLors as opposed Lo everyone else Lhe peneLraLed
1he peneLraLed oLher lncluded women boys and slaves and also adulL roman men who
dlsplayed a deslre Lo be peneLraLed Such adulL 8oman men were hence labeled devlanLs and
anomalles 1hls klnd of classlflcaLlon reflecLs a Lendency accordlng Lo whlch accepLable sexual
parLners for adulL men of Lhe domlnanL class never belong Lo Lhe same soclal group as
Lhemselves 1hey are elLher females or males who were slaves or boys 1hus sexual pracLlces
were so mlxed up wlLh broader lssues of power relaLlons
PomosexuallLy ln anclenL lndla has also been wldely recorded 1he ArLhasasLra an anclenL
lndlan LreaLlse on sLaLecrafL menLlons a wlde varleLy of nonvaglnal sexual pracLlces whlch
wheLher performed wlLh a man or a woman were soughL Lo be punlshed wlLh Lhe lowesL grade
of flne 1hough homosexual pracLlces were noL always sLaLe sancLloned Lhe punlshmenLs
meLed ouL for Lhls behavlor was mlld compared Lo oLher heLerosexual pracLlces LhaL were
consldered devlanL 1he ManusmrlLl whlch llsLs Lhe oldesL codes of conducL LhaL were
proposed Lo be followed by a Plndu does lnclude menLlon of homosexual pracLlces buL only as
someLhlng Lo be regulaLed 1hough homosexuallLy was consldered a parL of sexual pracLlces lL
was noL always well accepLed 1here were punlshmenLs prescrlbed for homosexual behavlor
CLher books such as kamasuLra also refer Lo homosexuallLy lL deals wlLh all aspecLs of sexual
llfe exLenslvely ln depLh wlLhouL any amblgulLy
1hus homosexuallLy has been observed ln varlous culLures for a long perlod ln hlsLory And we
see LhaL homosexuallLy was noL supposed as an abnormallLy ln all culLures Powever one Lhlng
Lo noLe would be LhaL Lhough Lhere exlsLed samesex aLLracLlon LhroughouL hlsLory lL has noL
been percelved ln Lhe same llghL Lvldence exlsLs Lo prove LhaL hlsLorlcally homosexual men
were always marrled Lo women and Lhelr aLLracLlons Lo oLher men were only LreaLed as llllclL
affalrs As sLrange as Lhe ldea of homosexual marrylng a woman may seem Loday such
marrlages occurred frequenLly noL only ln anclenL socleLles buL also ln many conLemporary
ones CulLural lnLerpreLaLlons of sexual drlves are hlsLorlcally and culLurally speclflc and very
ofLen dlsslmllar from one hlsLorlcal era or culLure Lo Lhe nexL
effrey Weeks ln 1977 sLudy of homosexual pollLlcs ln 8rlLaln observes PomosexuallLy has
exlsLed LhroughouL hlsLory 8uL whaL have varled enormously are Lhe ways ln whlch varlous
socleLles have regarded homosexuallLy Lhe meanlngs Lhey have aLLached Lo lL and how Lhose
who were engaged ln homosexual acLlvlLy vlewed Lhemselves as a sLarLlng polnL we have Lo
dlsLlngulsh beLween homosexual behavlor whlch ls unlversal and homosexual ldenLlLy whlch ls
hlsLorlcally speclflc"
UNDLkS1ANDING nCMCSLkUALI1
ueflnlng PomosexuallLy becomes an lmporLanL aspecL of undersLandlng homosexuallLy 1he
conLexL ln whlch one deals wlLh Lhe concepL affecLs how one undersLands lL lf slmply deflned ln
narrow sexual Lerms wlLhouL dlscusslng relaLlonshlps marrlage and procreaLlon culLural
meanlngs Lhen lL ls an unequal LreaLmenL of homosexuallLy as compared Lo heLerosexuallLy
Pence homosexuallLy can be deflned as an endurlng paLLern of or dlsposlLlon Lo experlence
sexual affecLlonal or romanLlc aLLracLlons prlmarlly or excluslvely Lo people of Lhe same sex"
lL also refers Lo an lndlvlduals sense of personal and soclal ldenLlLy based on Lhose aLLracLlons
behavlors expresslng Lhem and membershlp ln Lhe communlLy of oLhers who share Lhem
WhaL causes homosexuallLy? 1hls ls a quesLlon LhaL has been haunLlng anLhropologlsLs
psychologlsLs and sclenLlsLs allke An undersLandlng can be reached lf homosexuallLy ls vlewed
as anoLher sexual orlenLaLlon and noL a phenomenon of lLs own lurLher one should look aL
sexual orlenLaLlon as noL merely a personal characLerlsLlc LhaL can be deflned ln lsolaLlon
8aLher ones sexual orlenLaLlon deflnes Lhe unlverse of persons wlLh whom one ls llkely Lo flnd
Lhe saLlsfylng and fulfllllng relaLlonshlps"
8ecause of Lhe broad varlaLlon ln undersLandlng of sexuallLy Lhe ldea LhaL sexuallLy ls soclally
consLrucLed relgns supreme Mlchael loucaulL says 5exoollty ls soclolly coosttocteJ ptlmotlly
by tbe powet teqlme tbot toos lo socb o tlqbt copllloty moooet tbtooqb tbe soclol boJy bot olso
by bow teslstooce flqbts ooJ eloJes tbot teqlme
1here ls also lncreaslng evldence based on sclenLlflc sLudy LhaL llnks braln acLlvlLy and sexual
orlenLaLlon A new sLudy suggesLs LhaL pheromones lndeed play a parL ln maklng humans
sexually aLLracLlve Lo one anoLher new sLudles boosL Lhe hypoLhesls LhaL homosexuallLy has a
blologlcal basls and ls noL slmply Lhe resulL of learned behavlor Powever desplLe conLlnuous
research on Lo flnd Lhe geneLlc facLor assoclaLed wlLh homosexuallLy and sexual orlenLaLlon
Lhere has been no such concreLe evldence
Any human behavlor ls golng Lo be Lhe resulL of complex lnLermlngllng of geneLlcs and
envlronmenL lL would be asLonlshlng lf lL were noL Lrue for homosexuallLy" says uennls
Mcladden neurosclenLlsL unlverslLy of 1exas 1he commonly accepLed vlew hence ls LhaL
homosexuallLy develops across a person's llfeLlme and llkely caused by complex lnLeracLlon of
famlllal envlronmenLal soclal psychologlcal blologlcal and LemperamenLal facLors
SCCIL1AL A11I1UDL 1CWAkDS nCMCSLkUALI1
SocleLal aLLlLude Lowards sexual deslre and relaLlonshlps ln general ls Lo a greaL exLenL a
producL of Lhe culLure prevalenL ln LhaL socleLy Also how Lhe ldea of sexual deslre has been
LreaLed LhroughouL Lhe hlsLory of LhaL culLure lnfluences soclal accepLance SexuallLy was a
cenLral Lheme ln almosL all culLures and values regardlng approprlaLe and lnapproprlaLe
sexuallLy are prevalenL ln all of Lhem MosL culLures around Lhe world have seL procreaLlve sex
ln a soclally recognlzed relaLlonshlp Lo be Lhe norm uevlaLlons from Lhls norm were censured
or regulaLed Lo varlous exLenLs ln dlfferenL culLures
Movlng closer Lo home leL us sLudy Lhe evoluLlon of aLLlLudes Lowards homosexuallLy ln Lhe
lndlan conLexL As has already been menLloned homosexuallLy ls noL a recenL phenomenon ln
Lhe sub conLlnenL AnclenL LexLs reveal ample evldence Lo prove Lhe exlsLence of samesex
aLLracLlons many Lhousands of years back 1he anclenL scrlpLures palnLlngs and mural work
also dlvulge a klnd of openness of approach Lowards sexuallLy Powever samesex aLLracLlons
were noL consldered legal and Lhere exlsLed regulaLlons Lo conLrol lL lL ls lmporLanL Lo noLe LhaL
such sexual urges were only consldered as llllclL affalrs and noL unnaLural or evll
ln Lhe medleval perlod under Lhe Musllm rule and Lhe lnvaslon of ChrlsLlan LhoughL ouLlook
Lowards sexuallLy and homosexuallLy ln parLlcular underwenL a drasLlc change 1he church
assumed paramounL lmporLance durlng Lhls perlod and lL declared homosexuallLy Lo be a 'sln'
lslam also forbld samesex relaLlonshlps and preached LhaL lL was slnful 1hese rellglous canons
polnLed Lo Lhelr scrlpLures or rellglous LexLs Lo [usLlfy Lhelr sLand ConLemporary rellglous
auLhorlLles of uharmlc rellglons llke Plndulsm also vlew homosexuallLy ln a negaLlve llghL and
dlscourage and forbld publlc dlscusslons on Lhe Loplc 1he ldea of homophobla came up durlng
Lhls perlod Pomophobla can be deflned as Lhe dread of belng ln close quarLers wlLh
homosexual men and women as well as lrraLlonal fear haLred and lnLolerance by heLerosexual
lndlvlduals of homosexual women and men"
As a resulL of Lhls socleLal dlscrlmlnaLlon of homosexual people arose 1he law punlshed
homosexuallLy heavlly and Lhe socleLy shunned such people AgalnsL such large scale
dlscrlmlnaLlon homosexual people were marglnallzed and punlshed LhroughouL a long perlod
of hlsLory 1hey have llved Lhrough ages compleLely ln lnvlslblllLy and sllence
ShlfLlng focus on human rlghLs ln Lhe currenL pollLlcal and soclal scenarlo has broughL ln some
welcome changes ln aLLlLudes boLh wlLh Lhe governmenL and Lhe socleLy WlLh Lhe unlversal
ueclaraLlon of Puman 8lghLs varlous marglnallzed groups and communlLles have been
ldenLlfled and a whole serles of declaraLlons and LreaLles have sprouLed for Lhelr welfare
Powever lL ls only ln Lhe 1990's LhaL Lhe gay/lesblan/blsexual/Lransgender movemenL broughL
Lo Lhe fore Lhe rlghLs of Lhose dlscrlmlnaLed agalnsL because of Lhelr sexuallLy
Whlle Lhe umbrella of Puman 8lghLs has been exLended Lo lnclude marglnallzed communlLles aL
Lhe global level a slmllar movemenL ls yeL Lo Lake place ln lndla SexuallLy ls vlewed even ln
llberal and radlcal clrcles as a frlvolous lssue only speclflc Lo Lhe bourgeols class ln such a
mllleu homosexuallLy ls lnherenLly seen as someLhlng devlanL and unnaLural SexuallLy ls also
lmpllclLly assoclaLed Lo ldeologles and sLrucLures of soclal oppresslon such as paLrlarchy
caplLallsm Lhe casLe sysLem and rellglous fundamenLallsm 1hus a movemenL for sexual
mlnorlLles would have Lo grapple wlLh all Lhese oppresslve lnsLlLuLlonal sLrucLures and lL cannoL
be separaLed from Lhe broader human rlghLs sLruggle
SCCIL1AL DISCkIMINA1ICN]ACCL1ANCL CUkkLN1 SCLNAkIC
ln lndla a conservaLlve aLLlLude ls prevalenL amongsL all secLlons of socleLy and even Lhe
educaLed are noL free of lLs bonds 1he lnLlmldaLlon by organs of Lhe sLaLe ls an lnsldlous and
pervaslve culLure of sllence and lnLolerance pracLlced by dlfferenL secLlons and lnsLlLuLlons of
socleLy Many people deny Lhe very exlsLence of sexual mlnorlLles ln lndla dlsmlsslng samesex
behavlor as someLhlng wesLern and an upperclass phenomenon 1here are oLhers who label lL
as a dlsease LhaL ls Lo be cured or an abnormallLy LhaL oughL Lo be seL rlghL AnoLher group of
people also belleve lL ls a helnous crlme LhaL oughL Lo be punlshed Whlle Lhere may noL be
haLe groups ln lndla llke ln Lhe WesL Lhe persecuLlon of sexual mlnorlLles ls even more slnlsLer
and subLle Sexual mlnorlLles are sLlgmaLlzed and Lhey Lhemselves don'L wanL Lo admlL Lhe face
of persecuLlon because lL lnLenslfles Lhelr fear gullL and shame

Soclal dlscrlmlnaLlon agalnsL sexuallLy mlnorlLles manlfesLs lLself ln Lhe producLlon of Lhe
ldeology of heLerosexlsm whlch esLabllshes Lhe malefemale sexual relaLlonshlp as Lhe only
valld/ posslble llfesLyle and renders lnvalld Lhe llves and culLure of Lhose who do noL flL ln 1he
ldeology of heLerosexlsm pervades all domlnanL socleLal lnsLlLuLlons such as Lhe famlly Lhe
medlcal esLabllshmenL popular culLure publlc spaces workspaces and household spaces

ulscrlmlnaLlon beglns wlLh Lhe self lor mosL homosexuals 'comlng ouL' Lo Lhemselves ls very
dlfflculL Pavlng been broughL up ln a socleLy whlch enforces Lhe ldeology of heLerosexlsm Lhey
flnd LhaL everyLhlng LhaL Lhey do belng aL odds wlLh Lhelr peer group l kepL bellevlng lL ls a
passlng phase and one flne mornlng l'll wake up Lo flnd rlyanka Chopra aLLracLlve" says one
lnLervlewee

1he nexL sLep of comlng ouL ls Lo Lhe famlly/ lmmedlaLe soclal clrcle MosL lndlan famllles belng
very conservaLlve cannoL sLand Lhe ldea of Lhelr wards belng homosexual 1hey brlng up Lhelr
chlldren lnLo Lhe lnevlLablllLy of heLerosexual marrlage 1he pressure Lo marry beglns Lo be
applled slowly buL lnexorably 8oLh men and women experlence Lhe pressure buL undoubLedly
Lhe pressure ls greaLer on women who ln Lhe lndlan conLexL have far less lndependence 1here
ls no space wlLhln Lhe famlly Lo express a nonheLerosexual alLernaLlve ln Lhls conservaLlve
conLexL some sexuallLy mlnorlLles have chosen Lo 'come ouL' Lo Lhelr famllles as havlng an
alLernaLlve sexual orlenLaLlon 1he reacLlon Lo Lhls parLlcular dlsclosure has ranged from
accepLance Lo vlolenL re[ecLlon
1here are cases ln whlch Lhe famlly compleLely re[ecLs and dlsowns Lhem Also Lhere are cases
where Lhe parenLs refuse Lo accepL LhaL Lhelr chlld ls homosexual and force Lhem Lo undergo
psychlaLrlc LreaLmenL ln valn 1hey furLher push Lhelr chlldren lnLo heLerosexual marrlages
whlch do noL work ouL and puL Lhem ln depresslon

A few homosexuals who were lnLervlewed also accepLed LhaL Lhe greaLesL problem LhaL Lhey
faced was 'comlng ouL' Lo Lhelr famlly 1he emoLlonal ouLbursL of someLhlng belng 'wrong' wlLh
Lhelr chlld and LhaL Lhey should have Lhls 'dlsease' was someLhlng Lhey wlsh Lhey dldn'L have Lo
go Lhrough aL all AnoLher shares LhaL Lven afLer 3 years of comlng ouL Lo my parenLs Lhey
have noL accepLed me for whaL l am lnsLead Lhey preLend llke Lhe lssue doesn'L exlsL and LhaL
l'm sLralghL"

1he blame cannoL be enLlrely forced on Lhe famlly as Lhey are a producL of Lhe socleLy lurLher
noLhlng prepares parenLs for such a dlsclosure slnce Lhere ls absoluLely no ob[ecLlve
lnformaLlon on Lhe sub[ecL
Slnce Lhere are few mechanlsms whlch can help parenLs Lo undersLand and cope wlLh such
dlsclosures vlolence and hosLlllLy are undersLandable responses Lo comlng ouL ln a culLural
conLexL of homophobla

Moreover Lhe docLors and psychlaLrlsLs Lhemselves carry soclal pre[udlces agalnsL homosexuals
as Lhey are Loo a producL of Lhls socleLy lL ls sure Lo pervade lnLo Lhelr dlagnosls and LreaLmenL
of Lhe paLlenL uocLors also Lend Lo draw a llnkage beLween drug use and gays as well as
Plv/AluS and gays noLlng LhaL boLh were more common ln Lhe gay communlLy 1hese
unsubsLanLlaLed pre[udlces abouL sexual mlnorlLles undoubLedly lead Lhe docLor Lo prescrlbe
LreaLmenL Lo all people who come Lo hlm for LreaLmenL as all of Lhem are percelved as sufferlng
from a medlcal lllness when lL ls noL Lhe case ln reallLy

An lnLervlewee speaks abouL hls experlence of belng Laken Lo Lhe docLor 1hey (parenLs) spoke
abouL how shocklng and embarrasslng Lhey flnd Lhe whole slLuaLlon how Lhey Lhlnk Lhe
lnLerneL ls corrupLlng socleLy and how Lhey really wanL hlm Lo flx me 1he docLor laughed
1bese Joys klJs ote beloq exposeJ to too mocb of tbls oooseose 1bey tblok lts o fosbloo koll
oqo l tell yoo!" and beckoned me lnslde l wenL Pe followed Pe made a welrd lnapproprlaLe
gesLure l sLared blankly 1here was a physlcal exam hls meLhod of LesLlng lf Lhere was
someLhlng anaLomlcally amlss l passed and LhaL led hlm Lo Lhe concluslon lL was a menLal
lssue Pe Lold my parenLs nes ootmol! uoot wotty ot oll 1bls ls o possloq pbose bell qet ovet
lt Cet blm to see o psycblottlst nes o btlqbt boy see bes eveo wlllloq to cbooqe!""

opular culLure Loday comprlslng organs of mass medla such as Lhe press (reglonal and
naLlonal) Lelevlslon and fllms does noL offer any poslLlve role models for relaLlonshlps
beLween sexual mlnorlLles As ln oLher socleLal lnsLlLuLlons Lhere ls a resoundlng sllence on Lhe
lssue of lesblan gay blsexual or Lransgender relaLlonshlps llves and culLure lf aL all sexual
mlnorlLles are represenLed ln popular culLure Lhey are porLrayed only Lo be made fun of and
rldlculed 1hey echo Lhe sLereoLyplcal ldea of gay men as belng effemlnaLe and lesblans belng
manly

1he porLrayal of sexuallLy mlnorlLles ln Lhe Lngllsh language press has become more and more
poslLlve ln Lhe lasL decade especlally afLer Lhe publlcaLlon of 8omboy uost Lhe flrsL gay
magazlne ln lndla whlch sLarLed ln une 1990

A Lyplcal arLlcle of Lngllsh language press ls arvaLl nalr's 'Cay and happy' whlch glves a
sympaLheLlc accounL of gay men one of whom ls quoLed as saylng 1he Lwo mosL common
mlsconcepLlons abouL gay men seem Lo be LhaL Lhey are elLher lmpoLenL and are Lherefore a
fallure wlLh women or LhaL Lhey are sexcrazed and casually rape every young boy Lhey come
across 1hls ls a rldlculous generallzaLlon lL's llke bellevlng LhaL every 'sLralghL' slngle male ls
cellbaLe or LhaL all marrled women are unhappy nobody ls perfecL and Lhere are decenL gays
and perverLs [usL as Lhere are among sLralghL people" ('1rends" lndlan Lxpress 23 CcLober
1997)

newspapers and news magazlnes such as 1lmes of lndla lndla 1oday Sunday 1he Week
8angalore
MonLhly (now Weekly) and Aslan Age have been carrylng arLlcles wlLh a poslLlve slanL Powever
many arLlcles sLlll play on sLereoLypes and spread mlslnformaLlon Cne common sLereoLype
sees homosexuallLy as a form of sex work and gays as people who are pushed lnLo
homosexuallLy for economlc reasons A Lyplcal arLlcle ls CauLam Machalah's plece LlLled '1he
Cay klngdom' wlLh a box lLem 1hey made me a gay" (lndlan Lxpress 20 lebruary 1994) S
SeeLalakshml also plays on Lhe same sLereoLype 1hough many people deny Lhe exlsLence of
homosexuallLy ln lndla a large number of young boys and glrls are lured lnLo lL for varlous
reasons lncludlng money and [obs" (1lmes of lndla 23 CcLober 1997) AnoLher arLlcle LlLled
'SLudenLs Lake Lo Lhe gay way Lo make money' replays Lhe same sLereoLypes and noLes LhaL
young sLudenLs plck up elderly men Lo make money (1lmes of lndla 2 une 2000) CfLen Lhe
sLark lllusLraLlons accompanylng Lhese arLlcles are qulLe reveallng of how Lhe domlnanL culLure
consLrucLs gays depressed lonely fragmenLed and dwelllng ln Lhe depLhs of a gloomy and
perverse underworld 1he suggesLlon ls LhaL gays have creaLed Lhelr own prlvaLe llLLle hells and
have puL Lhemselves ouL of reach of humanlLy

LLS8IANISM

1hroughouL Lhe paper homosexuallLy has been dealL wlLh ln LoLallLy WhaL warranLs lesblanlsm
Lo be LreaLed as a separaLe lssue ls Lhe LoLal lack of lnformaLlon avallable on Lhelr llfesLyle All
reporLs on homosexuallLy aL leasL ln Lhe lndlan conLexL deal almosL enLlrely wlLh gay men and
Lhere ls barely any menLlon abouL lesblan women or Lhelr llves 1hls ls noL Lo say LhaL lesblan
women are nonexlsLenL ln lndla 8aLher Lhe double dlscrlmlnaLlon of belng a woman and a
homosexual plays lnLo Lhelr llves lnsldlously and Lhey are compleLely covered by a cloak of
lnvlslblllLy 8uL Lhls closeLed llfe makes Lhem llve ln llfe of shame osLraclsm and gullL

1here are a number of reasons for Lhls closeL exlsLence 1he mosL lmporLanL Lreason has Lo do
wlLh lndlan socleLy whlch ls consLrucLed on Lhe norms of heLerosexuallLy monogamous
marrlage and Lhe conLrol/denlal of women's sexuallLy 1hese norms sLlgmaLlze lesblan and
blsexual women [usL as Lhey encourage vlolence agalnsL heLerosexual women and keep Lhem ln
a subordlnaLe poslLlon ln Lhe famlly
1hus gender dlscrlmlnaLlon and dlscrlmlnaLlon agalnsL lesblans and blsexual women go
LogeLher AnoLher reason ls LhaL publlc space ln lndlan socleLy ls predomlnanLly male unllke
gay/blsexual men who are able Lo flnd publlc places (parks LolleLs eLc) Lhough rlsky and
resLrlcLed lesblans and blsexual women have no such spaces CfLen Lhey are conflned Lo Lhe
home whlch Lhough deflned as Lhe woman's space ls hardly Lhe place where woman's sexual
deslres leasL of all lesblan and blsexual women's sexuallLy can flnd expresslon aLrlarchy
forces all women heLerosexual or lesblan lnLo marrlage and pushes Lhem lnLo obllgaLory roles
of moLher and wlfe

1 he mosL crlLlcal problem faclng lesblans ln lndla was Lhe way socleLy slmply refused Lo
recognlze Lhem and was Lrylng Lo sllence Lhelr exlsLence 1hls was ensured Lhrough Lhe famlly
whlch was Lhe mosL oppresslve and Lhe leasL supporLlve for lesblan relaLlonshlps ln facL slngle
women who re[ecLed marrlage are safer and more LoleraLed by socleLy Lhan lesblan couples
who wanL Lo be ln a relaLlonshlp Lven close frlendshlps beLween women are frowned upon by
Lhe famlly due Lo some unexpressed susplclon lf Lhelr parenLs found ouL abouL Lhelr daughLer
belng ln a lesblan relaLlonshlp some mlghL even complaln Lo Lhe pollce LhaL she had been
kldnapped and brlng her back lnLo Lhe famlly and geL her marrled off Moreover everybody ln
lndlan socleLy Lhlnks LhaL Lhe only securlLy for women ls obLalned from a marlLal relaLlonshlp
wlLh a man 1hls becomes lnevlLable as close relaLlves wlll ask Lhe parenLs lf your daughLer has
noL yeL goL marrled and Lhls pressurlzes parenLs Loo Lven where parenLs are broadmlnded
Lhey are afrald of socleLy and Lend Lo conform Lo soclal norms

1nL LAW

SecLlon 377 of Lhe lndlan enal Code reads Cf unnaLural offences Whoever volunLarlly has
carnal lnLercourse agalnsL Lhe order of naLure wlLh any man woman or anlmal shall be
punlshed wlLh lmprlsonmenL of elLher descrlpLlon for a Lerm whlch may exLend Lo 10 years and
also be llable Lo flne
Lxp|anat|on eneLraLlon ls sufflclenL Lo consLlLuLe Lhe carnal lnLercourse necessary Lo Lhe
offense descrlbed ln Lhls secLlon

A landmark [udgmenL was passed by Lhe uelhl Plgh courL on 2
nd
uly 2009 when lL sLruck down
mosL s377 as belng unconsLlLuLlonal 1he CourL held LhaL Lo Lhe exLenL S 377 crlmlnallzed
consensual nonvaglnal sexual acLs beLween adulLs lL vlolaLed an lndlvlduals fundamenLal
rlghLs Lo equallLy before Lhe law freedom from dlscrlmlnaLlon and Lo llfe and personal llberLy
under ArLlcles 14 13 and 21 of Lhe ConsLlLuLlon of lndla 1he Plgh CourL dld noL sLrlke down S
377 compleLely lL held Lhe secLlon was valld Lo Lhe exLenL lL relaLed Lo nonconsensual non
vaglnal lnLercourse or Lo lnLercourse wlLh mlnors and lL expressed Lhe hope LhaL arllamenL
would soon leglslaLlvely address Lhe lssue

1hls was a welcome [udgmenL Lo Lhe homosexual fraLernlLy lL upholds Lhelr rlghL Lo llfe and
personal llberLy And lL was a huge poslLlve boosL Lo Lhelr morale and an lndlcaLor LhaL Lhe
socleLy was movlng Lowards a change

SUkVL ANALSIS

A survey was carrled ouL Lo gauge Lhe accepLance of homosexual people amongsL people 1he
respondenLs were mosLly college golng sLudenLs belonglng Lo Lhe urban mlddle class Cver
hundred people have responded and Lhe analysls brlngs ouL lnLeresLlng observaLlons MosL
number of respondenLs lles wlLhln Lhe age group 18 23 1hough Lhe quesLlonnalre was
dlsLrlbuLed amongsL people ln seml urban areas Loo Lhey have refralned from Laklng parL ln
Lhe survey 1he maln reason was Lhe senslLlvlLy of Lhe Loplc and many refused Lo even engage
ln such a dlscusslon 1hls reflecLs on Lhe sllence LhaL Lhe socleLy prefers Lo malnLaln on such a
Loplc

lrom Lhe survey a few lnLeresLlng observaLlons were made whlch lead Lo cerLaln concluslons on
Lhe level of accepLance of homosexuallLy ln an educaLed urban socleLy
nearly 33 of Lhe respondenLs know homosexuals aL a personal level and Lhey have responded
poslLlvely 1hls hlghllghLs Lhe facL LhaL Lhe more homosexuals come ouL ln Lhe open people
reallze LhaL Lhey have been llvlng amongsL Lhem all Lhelr llfe and hence accepLance becomes
easy

A polnL Lo noLe wlll be LhaL mosL respondenLs are college goers 1hey are aL an age where
Lhey are open Lo new ldeas 1here ls also a Lendency Lo be 'cool' abouL lssues and an openness
of aLLlLude Lowards wesLern lmporLs as polnLed ouL by an lnLervlewee Pe says LhaL people ln
ll1 have progresslve ldeas and hence more accepLlng lL ls lnLeresLlng Lo noLe LhaL whlle he has
been warmly accepLed by hls peers here hls famlly sLlll malnLalns sllence on Lhe lssue 1he ldea
LhaL homosexuallLy ls a wesLern concepL ls also prevalenL and LhaL ln lLself ls a reason for many
people ln Lhe agegroup 2343 Lo be vehemenLly agalnsL homosexuallLy belng legallzed

CpposlLlon ls also more from bellevers Lhan nonbellevers as expecLed 1hls shows LhaL
conservaLlve aLLlLudes lmparLed by rellglon pervade all secLlons of socleLy ln facL all Lhe
respondenLs who have sald homosexuallLy ls offenslve Lo Lhem are all bellevers Lhough Lhere
are qulLe a number of LhelsLs who have responded poslLlvely

33 of Lhe respondenLs have sald LhaL Lhey hear hurLful words and [okes Lowards homosexuals
aL Lhelr school/ workplace 1hls glves an ldea abouL Lhe aLLlLude of Lhe populaLlon Lowards
homosexuallLy Powever 71 of Lhe respondenLs also sald LhaL Lhey belleve ln gay and lesblan
rlghLs Cplnlon polls on sLaLemenLs llke 'decrlmlnallzaLlon of s377A wlll have harmful and soclal
consequences' 'homosexuals carry a hlgher rlsk of S1u and AluS vlrus Lransmlsslon'
'homosexuals lead promlscuous and hedonlsLlc llfesLyle' largely recelved neuLral responses lL
Lhrows llghL on Lhe compleLe lack of awareness amongsL even educaLed people Lowards Lhe llfe
of homosexual people

CCNCLUSICN
1hus dlfferenL secLlons of Lhe sexuallLy mlnorlLles communlLy face varylng degrees of re[ecLlon
and dlscrlmlnaLlon Powever lndlan socleLy ls also a deeply sLraLlfled one where barrlers of
class casLe and rellglon language educaLlon (among oLhers) cuL across Lhese dlfferenL
sexuallLles and creaLe furLher deeper oppresslons Among sexuallLy mlnorlLles male gays have
been Lhe mosL asserLlve ln belng able Lo come ouL and sLruggle for Lhelr rlghLs 8uL mosL of
Lhese gays are from Lhe urban educaLed mlddle class and are noL always able Lo recognlze and
arLlculaLe Lhe grlevances of consLlLuencles oLher Lhan Lhelr own lor sexuallLy mlnorlLles from
small Lowns or rural areas and from lower socloeconomlc backgrounds Lhelr derlvaLlons are
ofLen felL ln Lerms of language educaLlon and soclal and economlc sLaLus noL havlng Lhe
beneflL of an Lngllsh educaLlon Lhey lack access Lo lnformaLlon abouL Lhelr legal rlghLs and
proLecLlon llfesLyle cholces and so on whlch ls avallable only ln Lngllsh lor example Lhere are
no sufflclenL role models avallable ln reglonal language medla for poorer nonurban sexuallLy
mlnorlLles Lo draw upon so LhaL Lhey go Lhrough llfe sufferlng Lhe soclal sLlgma of
homosexuallLy ln sllence and shame All Lhls provldes Lhelr mlddleclass slbllngs ln Lhe clLles a
comparaLlve advanLage

1hus lL can be sald Lhough Lhere ls reslsLance Lowards homosexuallLy Lhe world ls movlng
Lowards a more llberal and equal vlewpolnL A poslLlve response can be observed from socleLy
and gay/lesblan prlde marches have been lncreaslngly recelved poslLlvely 1he one blg
achlevemenL has been Lhe uelhl hlgh courL's order decrlmlnallzlng s377 of lC 1here have been
waves of change belng observed Lhe world over Slave Lrade was once legal buL Lhe world
[olned hands LogeLher Lo Lhrow away Lhe lnhumane phenomenon now Lhe world ls comlng
LogeLher agaln Lo accepL homosexuals as normal people and resLore Lhelr rlghLs lL ls a nlce
Llme Lo be a homosexual" says Lhe lnLervlewee wlLh a wlnk lL ls Lhe Llme of change






















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WL8SI1LS
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