This document provides a sociological perspective on homosexuality in India through a literature review and field work. It begins with an introduction to homosexuality and discusses topics like sexual rights, depictions in Hindu scriptures and history, literature, cinema, and the current legal and social landscape. Field work included surveys on awareness and acceptance of homosexuality in India as well as case studies of LGBT support groups at IIT Bombay and experiences of gay students and alumni at IIT Delhi. The document provides context on the history and evolving depiction and acceptance of homosexuality in Indian society.

1. HOMOSEXUALITY IN INDIA - SOCIOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVE

2. TOPICS DISCUSSED :-
 Introduction to Homosexuality
 Sexual Rights
 History & Hinduism
 Literature
 Cinema
 Current Scenario
 List of few gay activists in India
 Presence of Gay Dating sites
 Indian law
 Social Acceptance
 Field work
1) Survey on how much people know about homosexuality &
how much they accept it
2) Case study of ‘SAATHI’ – IIT Bombay’s on campus LGBT
support group
3) Case study of a Gay Alumni of IIT Delhi
4) Case study of “Close-set Gay student in IIT Delhi
5) Visiting Naaz Foundation
6) Visiting Samapathik Trust
7) Phone Interview of a Gay Activists - Harrish Iyer

3. INTRODUCTION TO HOMOSEXUALITY

4. INTRODUCTION TO HOMOSEXUALITY
 Who homosexuals are ?
 People with same-sex attraction both sexuality and
emotionally, men having same sex attraction are known
as gays while women with same sex attraction are
called lesbians
 Reason for same-sex attraction ?
 Some recent studies done tell that brains of a gay guy
and a straight girl have very much similarities, Its by
birth neither by choice nor by upbringing, there are
instances where twin brothers had different kind of
sexual orientation – one of them was straight while other
was gay
 Can you cure homosexuality ?
 Its not a disease to be cured, there is no scientific
evidence over effectiveness over conversion therapies
rather there are ethical questions involved on those
therapies

5. SEXUAL RIGHTS
 Sexual rights are those minimum standards that are required
for a person to experience and express their sexuality in a
positive manner. They can only be realized and enjoyed in
an environment that is free from discrimination, coercion and
violence. Choice and mutual consent are cornerstones of
such an environment.
They include the right to-
 seek, receive and impart information related to sexuality;
 sexuality education;
 respect for bodily integrity;
 choosing your partner;
 decide to be sexually active or not;
 sexual relations with mutual consent;
 marriage with mutual consent;
 decide whether or not, and when, to have children;
 the highest attainable standard of sexual health, including
 access to sexual and reproductive health care services;
 pursue a satisfying, safe and pleasurable sexual life.

6. DEPICTION OF GAY SEX
IN THE TEMPLE OF
VISWANATHA – KHAJURAHO
10TH CENTURY AD
History
&
Hinduism :-

7.  A sacred text, the 4th century Kama Sutra, emphasizes
pleasure as the aim of intercourse. It categorizes men who
desire other men as a “third nature,” further subdivides them
into masculine and feminine types, and describes their lives
and occupations (such as flower sellers, masseurs and
hairdressers). It provides a detailed description of oral sex
between men, and also refers to long-term unions
between men.
 Hindus regard all beings as manifestations of one
universal Atman (Spirit),
 Atman has no gender
 Hindu texts have discussed variations in gender and sexuality
for over two millennia. Like the erotic sculptures on ancient
Hindu temples at Khajuraho and Konarak, sacred texts in
Sanskrit constitute irrefutable evidence that the whole range
of sexual behavior was known to ancient Hindus
 Homosexuality has been prevalent across the Indian
subcontinent throughout history, and that homosexuals
were not necessarily considered inferior in any way.

8.  When Europeans arrived in India, they were shocked by
Hinduism, which they termed idolatrous, and by the
range of sexual practices, including same-sex relations,
which they labeled licentious. British colonial rulers
wrote modern homophobia into education, law and
politics.
 Most modern Hindus are ignorant of this rich history, and
believe the popular myth that homosexuality was
imported into India from West
 Rightwing Hindu groups, active both in India and the
U.S., who aim to remake Hinduism as a militant
nationalist religion, express virulent opposition to
homosexuality, inaccurately claiming that it was
unknown to ancient Hindus.

9. LITERATURE -
Kama sutra Same Sex love in India –
Ruth Vanita and Saleem Kidwai

10. LITERATURE -
 Ismat Chughtai’s “Lihaf” (The Quilt), was the subject of an
obscenity trial in the 1940s, for her delicate evocation of the
relationship between two women. It was much later, in the
1980s and 1990s, that contemporary Indian writers picked up
from where Chughtai had left off.
 Vijay Tendulkar’s Marathi play, “Mitrachi Ghoshta,” was
considered revolutionary for the 1980s because it had a
lesbian protagonist — though it had a tragically conservative
ending by today’s standards, where the protagonist commits
suicide out of despair.
 By 2003, R. Raj Rao’s novel, “The Boyfriend” had an
increasingly self-aware, assertive audience, even though the
police could still use creaking, colonial laws to prosecute and
homosexual men in India.
 And there were first-person narratives too, such as
Bindumadhav Khire “Partner” in 2005, an account in Marathi
of growing up gay in middle-class Pune.

11. CINEMA :-
DUNNO Y…NA JAANE KYON(2010) DOSTANA (2008)

12.  Homosexuality has just recently entered the mainstream
cinema ,indian cinema has evolved a lot – depiction of
first gay kiss in Dunno Y(2010), gay kiss by Rahul
Bose in I am(2011) , I am(2011) winning the national
award indicate the changes
 Mumbai has one of its biggest pride events – Kashish
Mumbai Queer Film Festivalwhich was first held in
2010 in April and the next year from May 25–29, 2011. It
is the first queer film festival that is held in a
mainstream multiplex theater and screens LGBT films
from all over the world. It has been recognized by
Interpride as a pride event in India.
 Since last few years, specially after the movie
DOSTANA – people are talking about it, but the films
are actually stereotyping gays in feminine way, Very
few films have actually touched the topic well, rest
all are just showing it with humour.

14. CURRENT SCENARIO :-
Delhi's fourth gay pride parade, held on
Nov 28th, 2011

15. CURRENT SCENARIO :-
 ~4 % of any population is gay, the for India LGBT
population comes around 5 crores
 Gay pride parades have started happening in
major indian cities like Mumbai, Delhi,
Bangalore, Kolkata, etc every year with
attendance of few thousands
 Days after the 2 July 2009 Delhi High Court verdict
legalizing homosexuality, Pink Pages, India's first
online LGBT magazine was released.
 On 16 April 2009, India's first gay magazine
Bombay Dost, was re-launched in Mumbai.

16. LIST OF FEW GAY ACTIVISTS IN INDIA -
Ashok Rao Kavi Sridhar
Rangayan
Anjali Gopalan Harrish Iyer

17. In 2005, Prince Manvendra
Singh Gohil, who hails from
Rajpipla in the Gujarat, publicly
came out as gay. He was quickly
focussed by the Indian and the
world media as the first openly
gay royal. He appeared on the
BBC Three's Undercover Princes.

18. Gay Magazines Published in India :-
Pink Pages Bombay Dost

19. PRESENCE OF GAY DATING SITES -
Homepage of Planetromeo – a famous gay dating site operated in India

20.  Like wise social networking sites, there are many
gay dating sites operated in India
 These dating sites provide a safer way for ‘close-
set’ gays to meet-up with local guys with same
sexual orientation
 Some famous dating sites like planet-romeo have
around 93000 members from all over India ,
12000 of them are from Delhi alone, there are
members even from small towns with few lacks of
population
 With internet getting penetrated deeper into the
rural areas, number of members is steadily
increasing

21. LAW -
 British made section 377 in 1860 which criminalized homo-
sex between two adults, After Independence like many other
laws this law was also blindly copied in the constitution.
 Legal challenges to Section 377
 On 2 July 2009, in the case of Naaz foundation , the High
Court of Delhi struck down much of S. 377 of the Indian
Penal Code as being unconstitutional. The Court held that
to the extent S. 377 criminalised consensual non-vaginal
sexual acts between adults, it violated an individual's
fundamental rights to equality before the law, freedom
from discrimination and to life and personal liberty under
Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution of India

22.  A bench of justices G S Singhvi and S J
Mukhopadhaya, which is hearing a bunch of
appeals filed against decriminalisation of gay
sex, said that –
“ these things should be seen in the light of
changing times where phenomena of live-in
relationship, single parents and artificial
fertilisation have become normal. ’’
 Several organisations have come out in support of
decriminalising homosexuality in India, and pushed
for tolerance and social equality for lesbian , gay,
bisexual , and transgendered people.

23. CURRENT LAW :-
Same-sex sexual activity legal since 2009
Equal age of consent *
Anti-discrimination laws in
employment
*
Anti-discrimination laws in the
provision of goods and services
*
Anti-discrimination laws in all
other areas (incl. indirect
discrimination, hate speech)
*
Same-sex marriage (one single case in 2011)
Recognition of same-sex couples *
Both joint and step adoption by
same-sex couples
?
Gays allowed to serve in the
military
?
Right to change legal gender *
Access to IVF for lesbians *
MSMs allowed to donate blood *

24. SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE -
Exceptional case of Father of a gay
coming out for
The support during Chennai Pride
Parade

25.  The law may change but most important thing with
homosexuals’ life is the Social acceptance – Acceptance
from family, relatives, friends, etc
 First of all Indian society is mum about sex , so
homosexuality was not discussed publically even at the
national level untill quiet recently – there is absolute
silence about this issue at family level
 Recent Survey done by Humsafar trust reveals that 70%
of gay men in Mumbai due to peer pressure end up
marrying a girl !
 Case study –
Keshav Mitra (32), a software engineer was married to
Mohini in 2004. Keshav could not respond to Mohini for seven
odd months after marriage. This led to a lot of confusion and
turmoil in their married life. The duo often ended up quarrelling
and sexual frustration kept building up between them. One day,
Keshav broke the news to Mohini that he was gay and had
married her on account of family pressure but he could not get
rid of his feelings for Hemant, a friend from college. He also said
that he was romantically involved with Hemant for two years.

26. FIELD WORK
 1) Survey
 2) Case study of SAATHI – IIT Bombay
 3)Case study of a Gay Alumni of IIT Delhi
 4) Case Study of life of ‘Close-set’ Gay Student of
IIT-Delhi
 5) Visit to Naaz foundation
 6) Visit to Samapathik Trust
 7) Interview of gay activist - Harrish Iyer

27. SURVEY :-
 Sample – around 100 students of IIT-Delhi in a age
group of 17-24

28. yes
91%
no
4%
don’t
know
5%
1) Is there difference between homosexuals and
transgenders ?

29. yes
18%
no
74%
don’t know
8%
2) Is homosexual behaviour morally wrong ?

30. yes
23%
no
58%
don’t know
19%
3) In India is homosexuality derived from West ?

31. yes, earlier it
was not there
16%
no, but people
are becoming
open about it
58%
don’t know
26%
4) In India is there sudden increase in gay population
?

32. yes
36%
No, will take him
to psychiatrist/will
care that my son
doesn’t turns gay
47%
Cant decide at
this point of time
17%
5) In future suppose your child turns homosexual
then will you support his/her same sex marriage?

33. SAATHI – IIT BOMBAY’S ON CAMPUS
STUDENTS LGBT SUPPORT GROUP

34. Nivvedan S. – Co-founder of SAATHI
3rd year Computer Science
In Aug 2011 few IITB students and alumni got permission from IITB director to start
an on compus LGBT support group in the camus, thus became country’s first on
campus LGBT support group
The Support group is aimed at providing a safe and comfortable way for close-set
Homosexual students in the campus to come to terms with their sexual orientation
This group virtually works through its
Website, Facebook page & google group
Google group now has 140 members –
Both straights & queers
The group conducts some lgbt related
Events like movie screening , essay writing
, poster making, etc
So IITB campus has started becoming
aware of LGBT issues & increasing
number of homosexual students are
becoming open about their sexual
orientation

35. CASE STUDY OF A GAY ALUMNI OF IIT-DELHI
Balachandran Ramiah
B-Tech Mech Engg
Batch of 1982

36. RECOLLECTION OF BEING A GAY STUDENT AT IIT
DELHI FROM THE 80S
 I was only 16 when I joined (last batch of the five year course) the
hostel; however, I was aware of my sexual orientation as gay since I
was 15 and was very comfortable about the same. I had some
trepidation joining the boys hostel at such a young age (but was
comforted by the fact that my parents and home were only a couple
of miles away at Chanakyapuri).
 I went through the usual ragging period at the hostel (nothing very
severe as I was a mild mannered and well behaved kid who was
generally liked by all); during my years at the hostel, I did not as such
face any harassment by the fellow hostel mates as I was not óut
publicly about my orientation though I was teased off and on for
being too mild and a bit sissy; there were however some rumours
about my liking boys but nothing serious as I was a topper in my
class and people regarded me highly for my academic capabilities.
 It was true however that I used to feel extremely isolated and
lonely as I could not relate to the other boys interest in girls,
their small talk and I could not share my feelings with anybody. I
was also not aware of any other gay student on campus or in my
class (I am sure they were there, but everybody was in the closet
and hiding); there was a very effeminate boy in my class but he
chose not to stay in the hostel and became a day student.

37.  I used to go through periods of depression, unable to
socialise with people being open about who I was and it
would have been great, in retrospect, if I had had a group or a
community space on campus where I could have been myself,
out as gay and pursuing my social interests. This did not
happen till much later till I was a PhD student at the
University of Pennsylvania in the US where there was a
LGBT support group for students on campus with library
material and a counsellor for consultation and so on
 I do strongly believe that keeping with the times, IIT Delhi
must facilitate an LGBT student group on campus to
allow gay students –both men and women – a support space
that will ensure that this minority group feels as much a part of
campus activities as any other group. This has already
happened on many campuses of higher learning in India,
including IIT Bombay and I feel it is high time IIT Delhi
facilitated the same
In solidarity
BalachandranRamiah
Mechanical Enginnering, B Tech, IIT D Class 0f 1982

38. CASE STUDY OF “CLOSE-SET” GAY STUDENT
IN IIT DELHI
Hello friends,
I am a PhD student In IIT Delhi, I am 29 years old
and I am a gay by sexual orientation, but I would prefer
not to reveal my identity,
I have gone through that phase when you feel an
inferiority complex and disgust with your own self
because of your sexual orientation, At times I used to
hate myself and even thought of committing suicide
I feel most LGBTs go through same emotions and
feelings,
So if there is an LGBT support group which will
provide emotional support to students so that they can
concentrate on their studies

39. VISIT TO NAAZ FOUNDATION :-

40.  This NGO is dedicated to the fight against
the HIV/AIDS epidemic in India.
 Started in 1994 by Anjali Gopalan
 The foundation currently works on issues of
sexuality rights.
 Her main concern is providing quality
care to those living with the HIV
infection, which she has done through
founding and managing a care home for
HIV-positive children and women.
 In 2000 she opened the country’s first
holistic home cares for orphaned vulnerable
HIV+ children and Women.

41. BINDU MADHAV KHIRE
GAY ACTIVIST (PUNE)
VISIT TO SAMAPATHIK TRUST
Bindu Madhav Khire runs an
NGO – Samapathik Trust working
on HIV in homosexuals
He also carries counselling for
Closeset gays who want to come out
To their parents
He has written two books in Marathi
-Partner & Indradhanu over gay issues
Pune’s 1st pride parade in Dec 2011
Was organised under his guidance

42. HARRISH IYER –
GAY RIGHTS ACTIVIST (MUMBAI)
(INTERVIEW ON PHONE)
 What exactly homosexuality is ? Is it
something un-natural?
> Homosexuality is just the alternate form of sexuality
as hetero-sexuality is & its observed in large no of
animal species hence its quite natural
 Some gay activists like you are fighting for gay
rights , What exactly the rights are ?
> We are actually fighting against discrimination,
against prejudice that gays are guys doing only sex,
but are normal people, we are fighting for basic
human rights of equality and freedom
 Should gay marriages be allowed in India ?
> It should be allowed but its too early in india and
many things are more important like social
acceptance, thing to be in family and not to be thrown
out of family just because you are gay, its long way
for India but changes are happening and they are
quiet visible