The question of homosexuality…

This past week has seen a flurry of activity by the “queer” community, and gay activists. Indeed, there have been LGBT rallies organized in Chennai, Bangalore and Delhi. This comes in the wake of reports that Section 377, which concerns homosexuality, may be repealed, or at least amended. These events have surely put this issue in the spotlight. This Section 377, is rather vague. Though it doesn’t explicitly specify gays or lesbians, it supposedly can be used to prosecute them. In essence, homosexuality is, potentially, a crime in India. I say potentially because, this law has hardly ever been used. This law, along with several others, is a legacy of our colonial past, and a vestige from the British.

            One of the biggest criticisms of legalizing homosexuality is its “unnaturalness”. Well, these people exist. Their existence can’t be denied. If people still want proof of their existence, they need to see these “gay pride parades”, I suppose that’s the bottom line of such processions. Thus, having established their existence, I think it follows that its “natural” to them. They can’t be “artificial”. What, I’m trying to say is, that they are surely not fakers.

            Think about it, how can anyone fake something like this? There’re a thousand things one can fake, but surely not one’s sexual orientation. A straight guy would be would be filled with nothing but utter disgust, if he were to “think about another guy”.

And come what may, I think that feeling of disgust can never be removed, however you condition your mind. Because, its something we straight guys are born with. So, it is surely, impossible that all these people are actually straight people, faking to be gay!!!

            And probably, gay men feel the same disgust, if they were to “think about a girl”. Imagine if they were trapped in such a marriage, their whole married life would be, at least sexually, a torture. And then of course, would be the social stigma, if they were to speak openly about it. Such conditions, I believe, justify our deep empathies for gays and lesbians. Therefore, I support decriminalizing homosexuality, and also legalizing it.

            And then of course is the health issue. Just by banning something, we can not make sure that it doesn’t happen. For example, by banning prostitution, we have not removed it. Thus, even if one were to be against homosexuality, banning it wouldn’t stop it. In fact, it would push people underground. We know that AIDS is a big concern, especially among the gay community. India has the 2^nd largest number of AIDS patients in the world. Thus, it is completely to our advantage that we get them out into the open, and thus improve our chances, in this battle against AIDS.

            But lets not lose perspective here, this gay issue is hardly a political issue in India, unlike in the US, where political and public opinion is sharply divided. This is both a disadvantage and an advantage. It’s a disadvantage, because they can never really build a mass movement for their cause. But, it’s an advantage too, because, those opposing gay rights too can’t build mass protests for their cause. Lets face it, this Gay Rights Movement in India, is an extremely urban thing, that too, within a very small section of society. So, there is a very small likelihood for this issue to become a hot political issue. Thus, the govt can do the right thing and repeal these laws, without creating too many noises now. That’s why this is such an opportune moment.

            Above all, India is a tolerant, accepting society. We may not understand their nature completely, but that shouldn’t come in the way of us accepting them.

 

PS: I may have used “them” and “us” in this article. Don’t misunderstand that to mean that I see them as different, and that I detest them. Me using such words has no such negative connotation. It was just a way to get the message across.