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Since the 1990s, the initialism LGBT or GLBT is used for people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. The initialism, as well as some of its common variants, acts as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. Instead of using exclusively to people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, it may refer to anyone who is non-heterosexual or non-cisgender. To recognize this inclusion, a popular variant, LGBTQ, is used for those who identify as queer Or questioning their sexual identity and LGBTI for those people who identify as intersex.
What is Homosexuality? It is a romantic or sexual attraction or sexual behaviour between members of the same sex or gender.
Homosexuality in India has been a topic of discussion from the early periods to the present time. Texts in Hindu Religion have taken positions regarding Homosexual characters and themes. One of the sacred texts, Rigveda, says Vikriti Evam Prakriti (meaning what seems unnatural is also natural). Some scholars believe this recognizes homosexual dimensions of human life and all types of universal diversities. You would possibly have heard about the ancient Indian Text Kamasutra, which was written by Vatsyayana is dedicated to an entire chapter of erotic homosexual behaviour.
It had been found from the historical literary evidence that homosexuality has been prevalent across the Indian subcontinent throughout history which also indicates that homosexuals weren't necessarily considered inferior in any way until about the 18th century during British colonial rule.
Now, speaking of this in legal terms. There are various laws in favour of the LGBT community. Recently in 2018, Section 377 was decriminalized. Art. 14 gives equal rights and Art. 15 provides prohibition of discrimination specifying ‘sex/gender’ in it.
Art. 14, Art. 15 and Art. 16 don't state any particular gender. It specifies itself using the word ‘person’ instead of any particular sex. There are other acts like the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 and 3rd Amendment 2016 under UGC that prohibit discrimination, bullying and ragging on the grounds of their sexual orientation and gender identity.
India is among those countries with a social element of a 3rd gender, but mental, physical, emotional and economic violence against the LGBT community in India prevails. They lack support from family, society or police; even when they suffer or become rape victims, they don’t report the crimes.
You might not be quite surprised to know many religious persons, organizations and astrologers etc have shown their opposition to homosexuality.
Baba Ramdev, India’s well-known yoga guru, after advising that journalists interviewing him to not turn homosexual, stated he could cure homosexuality through yoga and called it a foul addiction.
The Vice-president of Vishwa Hindu Parishad Om Prakash Singhal said,
“The 11 December 2013 judgement of SC upholding section 377 is a right decision, we welcome it. Homosexuality is against Indian culture, against nature and against science. We are regressing, going back to when we were almost like animals. SC had protected our culture.” Singhal further dismissed HIV/AIDS concerns within the LGBT community saying, “It is known that once you attempt to suppress one anomaly, there’ll be a break-out of some more.”
Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, an Islamic organization Maulana Madni has echoed similar sentiments by stating that,
“Homosexuality could be a crime in line with scriptures and is unnatural. People cannot consider themselves to be exclusive of a society… in a society, a family is created of a man and a woman, not a woman and a woman, or a man and a man. If these same-sex couples adopt children, the kid will mature with a skewed version of a family. Society will disintegrate. If we are to look at countries within the West that have allowed same-sex marriages, you’ll find the mental tensions they suffer from.”
This, however, is in stark disagreement with many Hindu, Muslim, Judaism and other religious teachings because they do not view homosexuality as a religious sin. In fact, they state it to be completely normal and natural because God decided to make them that way.
What can we do about those that do not accept someone just because of their gender/sexuality?
Well, according to me, it was neither God’s choice nor it was theirs, it also can’t be said that they are a mistake. They are born as who they are, a human, so why not give them their rights, that space and peace which they deserve. If they are not normal then why do they feel and act like us so-called normal people and even compete in beauty, strength and intellectual areas.
This is just a matter of perspective. And believe me, love has no boundaries of gender, race, or even species (love is not just a romantic or sexual feeling, it includes caring, protecting and giving like how we love our plants or pets unconditionally without expectations). It is just different from person to person.
Remember unlearning the oppressive beliefs that we internalized, remember the mistakes we’ve made, and also the hurt we’ve caused, both to ourselves and others and use all of this as a compass of empathy once we see others starting down the trail. We need to take a moment to get a sense of where we actually are with respect to this issue. And rather than focusing on the differences between how we see it and how the person we’re talking to sees it, pay special attention to the similarities, or the parts of their story you’ll be able to “see where they’re coming from” about.
In the world we’ve lived in, we’ve been told that…
We shouldn’t offer sympathy or compassion to oppressors, or people who pain our cause.” If everything above is true, one of the crucial ways we'll help this person leaving behind their oppressive beliefs is with our sympathies.
“If we associate with oppressors or those that disagree with our cause, we’re just as bad as they are.” If we’re going to be there for this person, we need to have some comfort with this guilt by associating, and be ready to fold them into our little circle, even if it’s just a circle that holds you and them.
“It’s not our job to assist oppressors or folks that pain our cause, or a decent use of our emotional labour.” So, to be a part of this person’s positive change, we need to be willing to try and do some work for and with them.
Finally, we’ll have to make a tough choice.
Someone who has spent their life believing terrible things about broad swaths of the human population, and performing on those beliefs in ways that have caused suffering, misery, pain, and death doesn’t deserve you. They haven’t earned your respect, your time, or your kindness.
They don’t deserve you, that is why they need you.
The one that is deciding between letting go of oppressive beliefs or holding onto them is facing a tricky choice. And not only them but you too face a difficult choice. The choice for us do we allow ourselves to see where someone is coming from, giving up on any dogmatic principles we hold that get in our way, and offer them the compassion they don’t deserve, but need.
Christian Picciolini, a former supremacist, when asked what it took for him to begin down a distinct path, said, that for him, and for many other former Neo-Nazis, the one thing that did it had been they,
“Received compassion from someone WHO they least deserved it from WHEN they least deserved it.”
Doing what feels good isn’t necessarily doing good. When we recall our past selves in the future, it’ll be really clear to us when we were doing what felt good but caused harm instead, rather than what was actually good.
Reference: itspronouncedmetrosexual.com
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