The t-shirt slogan splashed across the media waves certainly did not fail to catch the attention of the masses, the only major difference perhaps this time being that it did not have the right to be questioned. And with these words has finally risen the once oppressed society of the homosexuals, which has taken the first step to move away from physical, mental and societal seclusion to a real, more equal world; anonymous letters of complaint and blog posts having given way to pride parades and revealed identities, and shame to confidence.
Besides, the calling should have come to us much earlier, as Britain despite leaving a section of India under 160 years of hostility and subjugation legalized homosexuality in England and Wales way back in 1967. But all’s well that ends well… or does it?
A lot of people clearly haven’t taken the High Court’s decision to decriminalize homosexuality down too well, the factors ranging from religious to personal, some even claiming it to be an irrelevant issue altogether. To this, Aditi Jain, a second year student of Gargi College says, “Tell that to the many sexuality minorities who as victims of a hypocritical, half- baked law get beaten up, harassed and/ or humiliated by the society and authorities alike.” Also, the various historical texts in India seem to defy the cause of protests staged on religious and cultural fronts. As found in Same Sex Love in India: Readings from Literature and History by Ruth Vanita and Saleem Kidwai, formerly lecturers in Delhi University, evidences of homosexuality have been found in literature going back two thousand years into history, and traces of increasing homophobia were only seen after the nineteenth century as a result of the rising influence of colonial legacy and infliction of Victorian morality with the passing of anti-sodomy laws, one example being that of heterosexualisation of qawali poetry which till before colonisation also celebrated homoerotic love.
Times have certainly changed since then. However, fact remains that acceptance of the law and the community will still be limited to the metropolitans where the luxury of approval and retreat lies directly proportional to one’s resources, slowly evaporating as it permeates to still minor places where ignorance eclipses needs. Thus; the least we can do as conscious citizens is give everyone achance to lead a normal life, the normal way. As for the people who’re still finding it hard to swallow, the fact that the act is both legal and consensual leaves nothing to be disputed about.
Besides, jab miya miya raazi, toh kya karega qazi.
1 comment
Ramya says:
Jul 17, 2009
The law may have finally come out but it’s going to be a long fight for assertion and acceptance for the gay ‘community ‘ and it’s sympathizers…One must understand the conservative bent of mind of most of society and it is important to realize that people against the decriminalization of homosexuality need to be explained the need for common sense to prevail in a country where being different is often frowned upon. It is certainly nobody’s business what another might do in the privacy of his/her bedroom. I mean,come on! As long as it doesn’t hurt anybody. And whatever bogus justifications the contractors of Indian morality use to argue for the sake of it, homosexuality isn’t some sort of fashion or cult that has been exported from western countries as some sort of neo- colonialist propaganda. Read the very Indian texts you quote properly, I say! Why is it hard for people to understand the concept of individual liberty, which I’d like to add, is highly underrated. Let people do what they like to do. One might not agree with a point of view, it doesn’t mean you have to go around barking your unsolicited advice on the unnatural and indecent nature of activities engaging consenting adults.