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| Pride Meets Prejudice The law labels them criminals. Society labels them different, morally corrupt, sometimes even mentally ill. Friends and family often label them a disgrace. But in June this year, homosexuals in four cities came together and labeled themselves proud. Mridu Khullar reports. It was a celebration and a protest. The mood both festive and pensive. Approximately three hundred people—gay, straight, bi-sexual—joined together on the evening of June 29 and finally found a collective voice. New Delhi’s first Gay Pride Parade had begun. Rallying through the streets of the capital in a colorful display of banners, masks and flags, sexual minorities in India banded together in a national coming-out party. Delhi’s parade was one of four parades in the country, others being in Kolkata, Bangalore and Pondicherry. Gay Pride Dressed in rainbow scarves, feathered hats, and sparkling saris, people in the crowd danced to the beat of drums, sang at the top of their voices, shouted slogans like “Hetero-Homo bhai-bhai” (heterosexuals and homosexuals are like brothers), “377 Quit India,”-- and celebrated their sexuality by coming out, gay and proud. The tradition of the Gay Pride Parade dates back to 1969, when on a June morning, the New York Police Department raided a pub in Greenwich village, which was a known hangout for gay men. What followed was outcry, riots, and five days of mayhem. Since then, each year, the week leading up to June 29 is celebrated as the “Rainbow Pride Week” all over the world. Despite the unexpectedly large attendance and presence of heavy security and media in New Delhi’s parade, or rather because of it, many people chose to wear masks in order to protect their identities and avoid putting themselves at risk. Many interviewed refused to state their full names for fear of being discovered by families or employers, and feared the repercussions that would inevitably follow. Amidst the celebration and joy, was fear. “My brother is here,” said Deepti, 35, one of the organizers of the parade, “but my parents are not.” Deepti walked without a mask, but refused to be photographed and asked to be identified only by her first name. The group of approximately 40 individuals who planned the parade was not part of any formal organization, but rather got together over the Internet and spread word through blogs, websites and personal contacts. The event was organized within a span of two weeks. Legal Status of Homosexuals in India While American homosexuals celebrate the legalization of gay marriage, the law in India is murky at best. Homosexuality is regarded as a crime under section 377 of the country’s penal code, which categorizes it under “carnal intercourse against the order of nature.” The legislation, which came into effect under the British era in 1860, is vague enough that it covers behaviors such as oral sex, sodomy, bestiality, and homosexuality, the punishment for which can be up to ten years in prison. While there haven’t been any convictions under the law, section 377 of the penal code has widely been used as a tool by corrupt law enforcement officials. Activists say same-sex couples are often a target for harassment, extortion, and blackmail. What’s even more disturbing is how the law can affect gay people’s very existence—it enables employers to fire homosexual employees, doctors to refuse treatment, and families to revoke inheritance. Indeed, the owner of a hotel in North India that caters specifically to homosexuals refused an interview because she was certain it would get her arrested, as it has in the past. There is hope, however. The Delhi High Court is currently weighing a petition to legalize homosexuality, filed by the Naz Foundation, an organization that creates HIV/AIDS awareness. As of this writing, a ruling is expected soon. Rampant Homophobia in Society Changing legislation is only part of the problem. India, most agree, is a very homophobic country, proved by the regular appearance of tales of suicide and forced arranged marriages of gay people. Gay people are seen as different. Some people think of homosexuals as morally corrupt or seeking attention. Others view them as having a mental illness. Still others think members of the gay and lesbian community are only seeking sex. “I was warned before I came here tonight,” says Kunal Anand, a 21-year-old student. “My friends told me that all the gay men in the parade men would try to hit on me. Stay away from the fashion designers, they said.” It’s why he wore his shabbiest pair of jeans and an old T-shirt, he admitted. “But it’s nothing like that,” he says animatedly. “I’ve had a lot of fun and a great experience here tonight. Gay people are nothing like what they’re usually perceived to be.” This perception is the reason for 35 suicides in the last five years by men and women who were forced to forgo their sexual choices and required to keep in step with society’s ways. A two-minute silence was observed during the parade for all those who’d lost their lives or couldn’t have come to the parade due to fear of being outed. Candles were lit, prayers were offered. A promise to make it an annual event was made. Millions of people in India are condemned to double lives. “In the upper class, people can still say they’re gay and get away with it,” says Deepti. “It’s accepted, sometimes even considered cool in rich societies. But for the middle-class, and especially the lower class, it’s a daily battle.” Politicians, too, haven’t cared much about the ongoing debate about the current legislation or if it might change. “I don’t think it will be accepted in our country,” Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, a senior leader of the Bhartiya Janata Party was reported as saying. He reportedly also called homosexuality unnatural and said his supporters didn’t protest the march because they didn’t want to “give importance to such behavior.” In 2005, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin visited India at a time when same-sex marriage was being highly debated in his country. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh responded to questions about the Canadian same-sex marriage law by saying, “There would not be much appreciation for a law like that in India.” Awareness Through Art Despite the legal setbacks that have plagued gay identity in India, writers, photographers, film-makers, and artists have been vocal in making demands for equal rights, and bringing the gay lifestyle into the mainstream and the minds of young Indians. In 2003, India’s first gay film festival, Larzish, opened in Mumbai to much fanfare. The ridicule and discrimination faced by same-sex couples was mirrored in many of the Indian movies and documentaries shown. Photography at the event was forbidden because many of the attendees were not openly gay. The festival featured more than 40 films from 16 countries. More popular and noted have been movies such as Fire (1996) and My Brother… Nikhil (2005) that touched upon gay relationships and issues. In September 2006, Amartya Sen, who received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics, acclaimed writer Vikram Seth, and other important public figures in India came together in an open letter to demand a change in the criminalization of homosexuality by law. The print media has not stayed far behind either. The Queer Media Collective, a group of professional journalists, was formed to recognize and reward balanced treatment and coverage of the gay and lesbian community in the Indian media. Time Out, the fortnightly magazine even has a column listing gay and lesbian events in the city in each issue. Says Deepti, “In a country where people accept several different religions, dozens of languages, so many different festivals and cultures, is it so hard to accept different forms of sexuality?” Maybe, members of the gay and lesbian community hope, this time the court will have a different answer. |
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