Time for society to accept homosexuality, accepted by law
By Naitri Patel
Several measures have been taken to include LGBTQAI+ people in all walks of life ever since the verdict on Section 377 of Indian Penal Code, in 2018. Recently there was a workplace equality index law passed to make sure that the members of the LGBTQAI+ community are given equal opportunities and benefits as other employees in the private sector. The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 came into force to ‘protect’ the transgender, but like any other law, even this did not change the mindset of the people.
There has been good amount of awareness about the LGBTQAI+ community among the people over the last two years, but it does not seem to be enough.
There is still a stigma towards queer people and same-sex relationships, there is still homophobia that exists in a large amount in Indian society and steps have not been taken to change this mindset. Upon the verdict on Section 377, Justice Indu Malhotra, one of the five judges of Supreme Court during ruling, said “History owes an apology to the members of this community and their families, for the delay in providing redressal for the ignominy and ostracism they have suffered”. However, neither the Prime Minister nor any members of dominating party have shed light on LGBTQAI+ issues in past three years. In fact, India abstained from voting in favour of LGBTQAI+ protection rights at UN Human Rights Council in 2019.
There is a strong need to have an anti-discrimination law to make members of the LGBTQAI+ community feel more inclusive and safer in India. Young members of the community continue to be terrified to come out of closet to their families, not just with regards to their approval, but also due to lack of security of life. Mental health illnesses took a toll among queer youngsters during lockdown, while staying with their conservative families. A Mumbai-based psychologist Sonali Gupta had told Vogue India that the Covid-19 lockdown had heightened the sense of loneliness and isolation among LGBTQAI+ due to withdrawal from their community and they don’t feel accepted and understood in their own homes.
Even in the Western world, it has not been easy for the LGBTQAI+ to come out, the situation is more difficult in India due to the non-acceptance of homosexuality altogether. People still believe in absurd concepts like conversion therapy or taking their children to the priest to “cure” homosexuality and let them believe it as some kind of disease or evil spirit and worst of all forcing them to marry a person of the opposite gender, which in turn leads to infidelity, incompetency of marriage and not to forget a rise in mental depression for both of them.
We need to take measures to induce more awareness among the people and educate all age groups through which people develop better understanding and acceptance about queer people and same-sex relationships. One does not become less of a person and should not be limited to their sexuality by being gay or lesbian, it is only their sexual orientation differs and nothing more than that.
To deprive someone the right to marry a loved one, is inhuman. It is true that we still haven’t reached a social understanding to legalise same-sex marriage, but hopefully someday we will and for that to happen we need to have confidence in the LGBTQAI+ community, to talk more about it, to educated more about it, to include them with us just as they are, leave our differences behind and make room for love and acceptance. Only when we do that, we shall save the next generation from conservatism and bigotry and build a better world for all.