HOMOSEXUALITYININDIA

SOCIOLOGICALPERSPECTIVE

TOPICSDISCUSSED:
IntroductiontoHomosexuality
SexualRights

History&Hinduism

Literature

Cinema

CurrentScenario

ListoffewgayactivistsinIndia

PresenceofGayDatingsites

Indianlaw

SocialAcceptance

Fieldwork

1)Surveyonhowmuchpeopleknowabouthomosexuality&how
muchtheyacceptit
2)CasestudyofSAATHIIITBombaysoncampusLGBTsupport
group
3)CasestudyofaGayAlumniofIITDelhi
4)CasestudyofClosesetGaystudentinIITDelhi
5)VisitingNaazFoundation
6)VisitingSamapathikTrust
7)PhoneInterviewofaGayActivistsHarrishIyer
INTRODUCTIONTO
HOMOSEXUALITY
INTRODUCTIONTOHOMOSEXUALITY
Whohomosexualsare?
Peoplewithsamesexattractionbothsexualityand

emotionally,menhavingsamesexattractionareknownas
gayswhilewomenwithsamesexattractionarecalled
lesbians
Reasonforsamesexattraction?

Somerecentstudiesdonetellthatbrainsofagayguyand

astraightgirlhaveverymuchsimilarities,Itsbybirth
neitherbychoicenorbyupbringing,thereare
instanceswheretwinbrothershaddifferentkindofsexual
orientationoneofthemwasstraightwhileotherwasgay
Canyoucurehomosexuality?

Itsnotadiseasetobecured,thereisnoscientific

evidenceovereffectivenessoverconversiontherapies
ratherthereareethicalquestionsinvolvedonthose
therapies
SEXUALRIGHTS
Sexualrightsarethoseminimumstandardsthatarerequired
forapersontoexperienceandexpresstheirsexualityina
positivemanner.Theycanonlyberealizedandenjoyedin
anenvironmentthatisfreefromdiscrimination,coercionand
violence.Choiceandmutualconsentarecornerstonesof
suchanenvironment.
Theyincludetherightto
seek,receiveandimpartinformationrelatedtosexuality;

sexualityeducation;

respectforbodilyintegrity;

choosingyourpartner;

decidetobesexuallyactiveornot;

sexualrelationswithmutualconsent;

marriagewithmutualconsent;

decidewhetherornot,andwhen,tohavechildren;

thehighestattainablestandardofsexualhealth,including

accesstosexualandreproductivehealthcareservices;

pursueasatisfying,safeandpleasurablesexuallife.
 History
&
Hinduism:

DEPICTIONOFGAYSEX
INTHETEMPLEOF
VISWANATHAKHAJURAHO
10THCENTURYAD
 Asacredtext,the4thcenturyKamaSutra,emphasizes
pleasureastheaimofintercourse.Itcategorizesmenwho
desireothermenasathirdnature,furthersubdividesthem
intomasculineandfemininetypes,anddescribestheirlives
andoccupations(suchasflowersellers,masseursand
hairdressers).Itprovidesadetaileddescriptionoforal
sexbetweenmen,andalsoreferstolongtermunions
betweenmen.
Hindusregardallbeingsasmanifestationsofone
universalAtman(Spirit),
Atmanhasnogender

Hindutextshavediscussedvariationsingenderandsexuality

forovertwomillennia.Liketheeroticsculpturesonancient
HindutemplesatKhajurahoandKonarak,sacredtextsin
Sanskritconstituteirrefutableevidencethatthewhole
rangeofsexualbehaviorwasknowntoancientHindus
HomosexualityhasbeenprevalentacrosstheIndian

subcontinentthroughouthistory,andthathomosexuals
werenotnecessarilyconsideredinferiorinanyway.
 WhenEuropeansarrivedinIndia,theywereshocked
byHinduism,whichtheytermedidolatrous,andby
therangeofsexualpractices,includingsamesex
relations,whichtheylabeledlicentious.British
colonialrulerswrotemodernhomophobiainto
education,lawandpolitics.

MostmodernHindusareignorantofthisrichhistory,
andbelievethepopularmyththat
homosexualitywasimportedintoIndiafrom
West

RightwingHindugroups,activebothinIndiaandthe
U.S.,whoaimtoremakeHinduismasamilitant
nationalistreligion,expressvirulentoppositionto
homosexuality,inaccuratelyclaimingthatit
wasunknowntoancientHindus.
LITERATURE

Kamasutra SameSexloveinIndia
RuthVanitaandSaleemKidwai
LITERATURE

IsmatChughtaisLihaf(TheQuilt),wasthesubjectofan
obscenitytrialinthe1940s,forherdelicateevocationofthe
relationshipbetweentwowomen.Itwasmuchlater,inthe
1980sand1990s,thatcontemporaryIndianwriterspickedup
fromwhereChughtaihadleftoff.
VijayTendulkarsMarathiplay,MitrachiGhoshta,was

consideredrevolutionaryforthe1980sbecauseithadalesbian
protagonistthoughithadatragicallyconservativeendingby
todaysstandards,wheretheprotagonistcommitssuicideoutof
despair.
By2003,R.RajRaosnovel,TheBoyfriendhadan

increasinglyselfaware,assertiveaudience,eventhoughthe
policecouldstillusecreaking,coloniallawstoprosecuteand
homosexualmeninIndia.
Andtherewerefirstpersonnarrativestoo,suchas

BindumadhavKhirePartnerin2005,anaccountin
MarathiofgrowingupgayinmiddleclassPune.
CINEMA:
DUNNOYNAJAANEKYON(2010) DOSTANA(2008)
 Homosexualityhasjustrecentlyenteredthemainstream
cinema,indiancinemahasevolvedalotdepictionoffirst
gaykissinDunnoY(2010),gaykissbyRahulBoseinI
am(2011),Iam(2011)winningthenationalaward
indicatethechanges

MumbaihasoneofitsbiggestprideeventsKashish
MumbaiQueerFilmFestivalwhichwasfirstheldin2010
inAprilandthenextyearfromMay2529,2011.Itis the
firstqueerfilmfestivalthatisheldinamainstream
multiplextheaterandscreensLGBTfilmsfromalloverthe
world.IthasbeenrecognizedbyInterprideasaprideevent
inIndia.

Sincelastfewyears,speciallyafterthemovieDOSTANA
peoplearetalkingaboutit,butthefilmsareactually
stereotypinggaysinfeminineway,Veryfewfilms
haveactuallytouchedthetopicwell,restallarejust
showingitwithhumour.
CURRENTSCENARIO:

Delhi'sfourthgayprideparade,heldon
Nov28th,2011
CURRENTSCENARIO:
~4%ofanypopulationisgay,theforIndia
LGBTpopulationcomesaround5crores
Gayprideparadeshavestartedhappening
inmajorindiancitieslikeMumbai,Delhi,
Bangalore,Kolkata,etceveryyearwith
attendanceoffewthousands
Daysafterthe2July2009DelhiHighCourt

verdictlegalizinghomosexuality,PinkPages,
India'sfirstonlineLGBTmagazinewasreleased.
On16April2009,India'sfirstgaymagazine
BombayDost,wasrelaunchedinMumbai.
LISTOFFEWGAYACTIVISTSININDIA

AshokRaoKavi Sridhar
Rangayan

AnjaliGopalan HarrishIyer
In2005,PrinceManvendra
SinghGohil,whohailsfrom
RajpiplaintheGujarat,
publiclycameoutasgay.He
wasquicklyfocussedbythe
Indianandtheworldmediaas
thefirstopenlygayroyal.He
appearedontheBBCThree's
UndercoverPrinces.
GayMagazinesPublishedinIndia:

PinkPages BombayDost
PRESENCEOFGAYDATINGSITES

HomepageofPlanetromeoafamousgaydatingsiteoperatedinIndia
 Likewisesocialnetworkingsites,therearemany
gaydatingsitesoperatedinIndia
Thesedatingsitesprovideasaferwayfor
closesetgaystomeetupwithlocalguys
withsamesexualorientation
Somefamousdatingsiteslikeplanetromeohave
around93000membersfromalloverIndia,
12000ofthemarefromDelhialone,thereare
membersevenfromsmalltownswithfewlacksof
population
Withinternetgettingpenetrateddeeper
intotheruralareas,numberofmembersis
steadilyincreasing
 LAW
Britishmadesection377in1860whichcriminalized
homosexbetweentwoadults,AfterIndependencelike
manyotherlawsthislawwasalsoblindlycopiedin
theconstitution.

LegalchallengestoSection377

On2July2009,inthecaseofNaazfoundation,the
HighCourtofDelhistruckdownmuchofS.377ofthe
IndianPenalCodeasbeingunconstitutional.The
CourtheldthattotheextentS.377criminalised
consensualnonvaginalsexualactsbetweenadults,it
violatedanindividual'sfundamentalrightsto
equalitybeforethelaw,freedomfromdiscrimination
andtolifeandpersonallibertyunderArticles14,15
and21oftheConstitutionofIndia
 AbenchofjusticesGSSinghviandSJ
Mukhopadhaya,whichishearingabunchof
appealsfiledagainstdecriminalisationofgay
sex,saidthat
thesethingsshouldbeseeninthelightof
changingtimeswherephenomenaoflivein
relationship,singleparentsandartificial
fertilisationhavebecomenormal.

Severalorganisationshavecomeoutinsupport
ofdecriminalisinghomosexualityinIndia,and
pushedfortoleranceandsocialequalityfor
lesbian,gay,bisexual,andtransgendered
people.
CURRENTLAW:
Samesexsexualactivitylegal since2009
Equalageofconsent *
Antidiscriminationlawsin
*
employment
Antidiscriminationlawsinthe
*
provisionofgoodsandservices
Antidiscriminationlawsinall
otherareas(incl.indirect *
discrimination,hatespeech)
Samesexmarriage (onesinglecasein2011)
Recognitionofsamesexcouples *
Bothjointandstepadoptionby
?
samesexcouples
Gaysallowedtoserveinthe
?
military
Righttochangelegalgender *
AccesstoIVFforlesbians *
MSMsallowedtodonateblood *
SOCIALACCEPTANCE

ExceptionalcaseofFatherofagay
comingoutfor
ThesupportduringChennaiPride
Parade
 Thelawmaychangebutmostimportantthingwith
homosexualslifeistheSocialacceptanceAcceptance
fromfamily,relatives,friends,etc
FirstofallIndiansocietyismumaboutsex,so

homosexualitywasnotdiscussedpublicallyevenatthe
nationalleveluntillquietrecentlythereisabsolute
silenceaboutthisissueatfamilylevel
RecentSurveydonebyHumsafartrustrevealsthat70%

ofgaymeninMumbaiduetopeerpressureendup
marryingagirl!
Casestudy

KeshavMitra(32),asoftwareengineerwasmarriedto
Mohiniin2004.KeshavcouldnotrespondtoMohiniforseven
oddmonthsaftermarriage.Thisledtoalotofconfusionand
turmoilintheirmarriedlife.Theduooftenendedupquarrelling
andsexualfrustrationkeptbuildingupbetweenthem.Oneday,
KeshavbrokethenewstoMohinithathewasgayandhad
marriedheronaccountoffamilypressurebuthecouldnotget
ridofhisfeelingsforHemant,afriendfromcollege.Healsosaid
thathewasromanticallyinvolvedwithHemantfortwoyears.
FIELDWORK
1)Survey
2)CasestudyofSAATHIIITBombay

3)CasestudyofaGayAlumniofIITDelhi

4)CaseStudyoflifeofClosesetGayStudentof
IITDelhi
5)VisittoNaazfoundation

6)VisittoSamapathikTrust

7)InterviewofgayactivistHarrishIyer
SURVEY:
Samplearound100studentsofIITDelhiina
agegroupof1724
1)Istheredifferencebetweenhomosexualsandtransgenders?

dontknow;6%
no;4%

yes;91%
2)Ishomosexualbehaviourmorallywrong?

dontknow;8%
yes;18%

no;74%
3)InIndiaishomosexualityderivedfromWest?

dontknow;19%
yes;23%

no;58%
4)InIndiaistheresuddenincreaseingaypopulation?

yes,earlieritwasnotthere;16%

dontknow;27%

no,butpeoplearebecomingopenaboutit;58%
5)Infuturesupposeyourchildturnshomosexualthenwillyousupporthis/hersamesexmarriage?

Cantdecideatthispointoftime;17%

yes;36%

No,willtakehimtopsychiatrist/willcarethatmysondoesntturnsgay;47%
SAATHIIITBOMBAYSON
CAMPUSSTUDENTSLGBT
SUPPORTGROUP
InAug2011fewIITBstudentsandalumnigotpermissionfromIITBdirectorto
startanoncompusLGBTsupportgroupinthecamus,thusbecamecountrys
firstoncampusLGBTsupportgroup

TheSupportgroupisaimedatprovidingasafeandcomfortablewayforcloseset
Homosexualstudentsinthecampustocometotermswiththeirsexual
orientation
Thisgroupvirtuallyworksthroughits
Website,Facebookpage&googlegroup

Googlegroupnowhas140members
Bothstraights&queers

Thegroupconductssomelgbtrelated
Eventslikemoviescreening,essaywriting
,postermaking,etc

SoIITBcampushasstartedbecoming
awareofLGBTissues&increasing
numberofhomosexualstudentsare
becomingopenabouttheirsexual
orientation
NivvedanS.CofounderofSAATHI
3rdyearComputerScience
CASESTUDYOFAGAYALUMNIOF
IITDELHI

BalachandranRamiah

BTechMechEngg
Batchof1982
RECOLLECTIONOFBEINGAGAYSTUDENTATIITDELHIFROM
THE80S

Iwasonly16whenIjoined(lastbatchofthefiveyearcourse)the
hostel;however,IwasawareofmysexualorientationasgaysinceIwas
15andwasverycomfortableaboutthesame.Ihadsometrepidation
joiningtheboyshostelatsuchayoungage(butwascomfortedbythe
factthatmyparentsandhomewereonlyacoupleofmilesawayat
Chanakyapuri).
Iwentthroughtheusualraggingperiodatthehostel(nothingvery

severeasIwasamildmanneredandwellbehavedkidwhowas
generallylikedbyall);duringmyyearsatthehostel,Ididnotassuch
faceanyharassmentbythefellowhostelmatesasIwasnotut
publiclyaboutmyorientationthoughIwasteasedoffandonfor
beingtoomildandabitsissy;therewerehoweversomerumoursabout
mylikingboysbutnothingseriousasIwasatopperinmyclassand
peopleregardedmehighlyformyacademiccapabilities.
ItwastruehoweverthatIusedtofeelextremelyisolatedand

lonelyasIcouldnotrelatetotheotherboysinterestingirls,
theirsmalltalkandIcouldnotsharemyfeelingswithanybody.
Iwasalsonotawareofanyothergaystudentoncampusorinmyclass
(Iamsuretheywerethere,buteverybodywasintheclosetandhiding);
therewasaveryeffeminateboyinmyclassbuthechosenottostayin
thehostelandbecameadaystudent.
 Iusedtogothroughperiodsofdepression,unableto
socialisewithpeoplebeingopenaboutwhoIwasanditwould
havebeengreat,inretrospect,ifIhadhadagrouporacommunity
spaceoncampuswhereIcouldhavebeenmyself,outasgayand
pursuingmysocialinterests.Thisdidnothappentillmuchlater
tillIwasaPhDstudentattheUniversityofPennsylvania
intheUSwheretherewasaLGBTsupportgroupfor
studentsoncampuswithlibrarymaterialandacounsellorfor
consultationandsoon
Idostronglybelievethatkeepingwiththetimes,IITDelhimust

facilitateanLGBTstudentgrouponcampustoallowgay
studentsbothmenandwomenasupportspacethatwillensure
thatthisminoritygroupfeelsasmuchapartofcampusactivities
asanyothergroup.Thishasalreadyhappenedonmanycampuses
ofhigherlearninginIndia,includingIITBombayandIfeelitis
hightimeIITDelhifacilitatedthesame

Insolidarity

BalachandranRamiah
MechanicalEnginnering,BTech,IITDClass0f1982
CASESTUDYOFCLOSESETGAY
STUDENTINIITDELHI
Hellofriends,
IamaPhDstudentInIITDelhi,Iam29yearsold
andIamagaybysexualorientation,butIwould
prefernottorevealmyidentity,
Ihavegonethroughthatphasewhenyoufeelan
inferioritycomplexanddisgustwithyourownself
becauseofyoursexualorientation,AttimesIusedto
hatemyselfandeventhoughtofcommittingsuicide
IfeelmostLGBTsgothroughsameemotionsand
feelings,
SoifthereisanLGBTsupportgroupwhichwill
provideemotionalsupporttostudentssothatthey
canconcentrateontheirstudies
VISITTONAAZFOUNDATION:
 ThisNGOisdedicatedtothefightagainst
theHIV/AIDSepidemicinIndia.
Startedin1994byAnjaliGopalan

Thefoundationcurrentlyworksonissues
ofsexualityrights.
Hermainconcernisproviding
qualitycaretothoselivingwiththe
HIVinfection,whichshehasdone
throughfoundingandmanagingacare
homeforHIVpositivechildrenand
women.
In2000sheopenedthecountrysfirst
holistichomecaresfororphaned
vulnerableHIV+childrenandWomen.
BINDUMADHAVKHIRE
GAYACTIVIST(PUNE)
VISIT TO SAMAPATHIK TRUST

BinduMadhavKhirerunsan
NGOSamapathikTrustworking
onHIVinhomosexuals

Healsocarriescounsellingfor
Closesetgayswhowanttocomeout
Totheirparents

HehaswrittentwobooksinMarathi
-Partner&Indradhanuovergay
issues

Punes1stprideparadeinDec2011
Wasorganisedunderhisguidance
HARRISHIYER
GAYRIGHTSACTIVIST(MUMBAI)
(INTERVIEW ON PHONE)
Whatexactlyhomosexualityis?Isit
somethingunnatural?
>Homosexualityisjustthealternateformof
sexualityasheterosexualityis&itsobservedin
largenoofanimalspecieshenceitsquitenatural
Somegayactivistslikeyouarefightingfor
gayrights,Whatexactlytherightsare?
>Weareactuallyfightingagainstdiscrimination,
againstprejudicethatgaysareguysdoingonlysex,
butarenormalpeople,wearefightingforbasic
humanrightsofequalityandfreedom
ShouldgaymarriagesbeallowedinIndia?
>Itshouldbeallowedbutitstooearlyinindia
andmanythingsaremoreimportantlikesocial
acceptance,thingtobeinfamilyandnottobe
thrownoutoffamilyjustbecauseyouaregay,its
longwayforIndiabutchangesarehappeningand
theyarequietvisible