Homosexuality In India

India has a long tradition of tolerance for all kinds of beliefs, faiths, philosophies, orientations and ways of living. Though India is a deeply religious country but at the same time it is also a country which has accepted non- religious communities as well. In ancient India there was a place for all kinds of diverse cultures, arts and literatures; the society was very assimilative. At one place we have purely and strictly religious painting and sculptors like at Konark or at Jagganath Puri temples and at another place we have monuments like Khajuraho which is famous world over for its erotic arts and sculptors; this also includes sculptors with homosexual activities.

But our modern society somehow has become less tolerant towards anything which is not regular or common according to their collective perception; whether we study society’s behavior towards religious minorities such as Islam or Christianity or its behavior towards sexual minorities such as gays, lesbians or bisexuals. In all such cases, it can be found that people in minority are the target of the people in majority and harassment or discrimination against such minorities is widely prevalent.

What is Homosexuality?
It is natural tendency that persons of one gender are sexually or emotionally attracted towards persons with opposite gender i. e. males are attracted towards females and vice versa. But sometimes and in some cases this sexual or emotional attraction is not towards opposite sex rather it is towards the same sex persons. This same sex attraction or orientation is known as Homosexuality and persons with such orientation are called as Homosexuals. Homosexuals can be persons of both the sexes i.e. Gays (male-male) and Lesbians (female-female). Another term LGBT is also commonly used for persons with homosexual orientations; LGBT being abbreviation of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Trans-genders.

Causes of Homosexuality
The reasons for such type of sexual behavior or choice are not yet fully known but several researches have been done and different experts have found different results or theories. The reasons may be biological, psychological or both.

Biological Reasons
Several scientists have concluded that one is born with a particular kind of sexual orientation and it is in the genes. Thus it is a natural phenomenon. But no conclusive proof is there that homosexual behavior is simply a biological thing. There may be a factor of genetics in determining one’s sexual choice but other factors might also be there.

Social and Psychological Factors
It is a fact that socio-cultural environment affects the development of a child in significant ways. One’s family, friends, society, and experiences decides how one views life, how one feels and how he or she acts. Thus psychological factors are also very important in determining one’s sexual preferences.

But it is true that not one single factor but combination of many things determines one’s sexual orientation. And whatever be the reason as it is natural for a person to decide what kind of food he/she wants to eat, what kind of living he/she wishes to have; similarly, it is also natural that with whom he/she wants to have sexual relationship either with opposite sex or with same sex.

Discrimination Against Homosexuals
Discriminations faced by homosexuals in our society are at various levels; beginning from within their homes to outside world as a whole. Their entire life is a struggle only because they are born with a particular sexual orientation which is different from others. In fact it is proved through various scientific or psychological studies that such behaviors are perfectly natural.

Our society is a very complex one; at one side we are most modern of societies of the world with all the liberal thoughts and beliefs but at on another level we are the most conservatives of societies of the world. We specially avoid facing so-called taboo social issues such as pre-marital sexual relationship, live-in relationship, inter-caste or inter-religion marriages etc. Homosexuality is also one of the most avoided or detested issues in our society. Even the mentioning of the terms Gays or Lesbians is a strict no-no. Thus, the society as whole has not accepted persons with different or so-called unnatural sexual behavior.

The discrimination against LGBT community persons is fairly common. And it begins from their own homes; their own family members treat it as a disease or perversion and accordingly treat them badly. In fact family members feel ashamed of in the society if any member of their family has such sexual orientation.

Apart from all these, the most important single step in eliminating the stigma over LGBT people is to decriminalize section 377 of the IPC so that they could have a normal regular life like others and avail their basic human rights without harassment or discrimination. Hopefully our law makers would soon listen to their rightful plea and make necessary changes in the law.