On LGBT

What happened?

Well, the Supreme Court of India set aside a 2009 Delhi high court verdict that had effectively de-criminalized gay sex between consenting adults in private. The Supreme Court ruled that the lower court had overstepped its authority and the 1860 law was still valid.

Was it a good verdict?

Legally speaking, yes, since no court should ideally bypass the parliament. A court should not de-criminalize something which is criminalized by the legislature. The void created by legislature and bureaucracy should not be always filled by the judiciary. The road ahead is a strong de-criminalizing law coming up from the publicly elected sphere, which the Supreme Court’s verdict indicated towards.

What happened after the Supreme Court verdict?

A verdict which adhered to the book of law was outrightly declared medieval and villainous; activists from all across the world protested this decision. Some, without even really understanding the situation, went all out to even curse and accuse the Supreme Court of being an evil institution. Even the UN increased their TRP riding the LGBT wave in India.

Is homosexuality natural?

Everything nature allows is natural. If something is not natural, the question of whether or not it is natural won’t arise. Like a man becoming pregnant, or the Sun going round the Earth. Interestingly, for a long time, the Earth was believed to be at the center of the Solar system, with religion and culture supporting this thought. Any claim otherwise was deemed ‘unnatural’, just like homosexuality is, today. Nature enables. Culture prohibits.

Is homosexuality scientific?

Homosexuality has been observed in around 1500 different animal species.  According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, Sexual orientation probably is not determined by any one factor but by a combination of genetic, hormonal, and environmental influences. Also, there is no scientific evidence that abnormal parenting, sexual abuse, or other adverse life events influence sexual orientation.

Is homosexuality a western thought?

Not really. But unlike the west, the Hindu society does not have the concept of ‘sexual orientation’ that classifies males on the basis of who they desire. However, there is a strong, ancient concept of third gender, which is for individuals who have strong elements of both male and female in them. This third sex or gender includes people we call today homosexuals, transgenders, bisexuals and the intersexed (LGBTI). References to this are seen in the Mahabharata, Ramayana, Manu Smriti, Narada Smriti, Mahanirvana Tantra, Kama Sutra, and even in the Sangam literature of present Tamil Nadu.

In Mahabharata, Arjuna takes a vow of eunuchism. Another important character, Shikhandi, is born female, but raised as a boy. In Ramayana, when the famous king, Maharaja Dilipa, dies without a heir, lord Shiva appears before the king’s two widowed queens and commands them, “You two make love together and by my blessings you will bear a beautiful son.” Thus “Bhagiratha” (meaning he who is born from two vulvas) is born. In addition, numerous Hindu gods are themselves of the third gender, like Ardhanarisvara (the hermaphrodite form of Shiva); Aravan (a hero whom Krishna married after becoming a woman); Ayyappa (a god born from the union of Shiva and Mohini, a female incarnation of Vishnu); Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (an incarnation of Radha and Krishna combined) among many others.

Is homosexuality blasphemy?

The relationship between religion and homosexuality can vary greatly across time and place, within and between different religions and denominations. Hinduism does not view homosexuality as a religious sin. A “third gender” has been acknowledged within Hinduism since Vedic times. The term Vikruti Evam Prakriti (diversity is what nature is all about), from the Rig Veda seems to indicate a level of acceptance for the different. Even the Manusmriti, says that “if a twice-born man unites sexually with a man or a woman in a cart pulled by a cow, or in water, or by day, he should bathe with his clothes on.” The Kama Sutra, written in the 150 BC, has a complete chapter on male-male sex. Chapter six, Auparishtika talks about oral sex between two men in the frankest manner possible.  The temples at both Khajuraho and Konark have extensive panels on homosexuality, male and female, on the same level as heterosexual activity.

Is homosexual marriage wrong?

That depends on how we perceive marriage. If the purpose of marriage is only reproduction, then infertile couples should also be considered criminal. Or couples who have passed the child-bearing age should be forced to divorce. None of that happens in our times, which means the purpose of marriage is not purely child birth but something more. Happiness, maybe…

What do the homosexuals undergo?

Well, in a country like India, very few actually come out in the open claim to be homosexuals. And those who dare, are almost always discriminated in employment, housing, and education. Many undergo hate crimes. Such crimes against homosexuals happen globally, but are minimum in the Scandinavian nations (aka the countries with best living conditions), and highest in the Africa and Asia.

The road ahead?

Activism. Acceptance. Equality. What else?