5 MONDAY, 2 NOVEMBER, 2009. MUMBAI
www.mid-day.com METRO
‘MY SON IS GAY AND I’M UP AHEAD...
THE parents and the organis-
ers have also decided to form
a forum to support the cause
of Section 377 by writing let-
PROUD TO BE HIS MOM’
ters, which will be presented
to the Supreme Court. Virkam
Dcotor, founder of Gay
Bombay and the organiser of
the event, said, "Parents' unity
are happy. I visit my son and ter-in-law.” In a touching will certainly help the commu-
stay with him and his moment of reaffirmation, a nity and quite clearly, the
In a unique meeting, homosexuals and their parents boyfriend in the US for as long
as six months at a stretch.”
sister said she would only
marry a guy who accepted her
overwhelming response,
brings us hope."
shared confidences and charted the way ahead The only concern parents
have is of the future. “I want
gay brother.
my son to be in a steady rela- CUP OF JOY: The gift for parents
VARUN SINGH “The astrologer said my son tionship, so that he will have a who backed their kids at the Gay
ARTICLE 377
varun.singh@mid-day.com would become straight by mid companion and can live his Bombay Parents’ meet yesterday.
2006 and asked him to visit a days happily,” said a mother. PIC/ATUL KAMBLE
THE Article 377 of the Indian
ON October 23, Tarun Gupta devi temple every Thursday. Another parent added, “I Penal Code upheld that unnat-
(name changed) gathered The others told me I could want a partner for my son. ural sex was a crime. However,
courage and told his mom a change my son’s mindset. And I would search on July 2, 2009 the Delhi High
secret — he liked men. Eight Finally, I realised nothing for him the way I Court read down the article.
days later, Mrs Gupta and her worked and accepted him the would for a This meant that consensual
son were among 130 partici- way he is,” she said. daugh- sex among adults was no
pants at the Gay Bombay news, not gossip. Everyone Sobha Doshi’s son Shammit longer a crime. The lesbian,
Parents’ and relatives’ meet. has become more aware about told her he was gay over the gay, bisexual and transgender
The meet organised at the issue. The rise in the fig- phone from Atlanta nearly community celebrated the day
Liquid Lounge, Charni Road, ures at the meeting today can three years ago. “I caught the as their new Independence
which saw one of the largest be credited to the media,” said next flight and went to meet
Day. However, nearly 14
gatherings of parents and rela- Harish Iyer, an event organis- my son and his boyfriend. It
tives of homosexuals in the er, who is openly gay. was fine,” she beamed. religious and other fundamen-
city, went on for three hours There were few parents talist groups filed their
last afternoon. In fact, another like Mrs Gupta, who immedi- ‘It’s not a crime’ petition against the verdict
first at the meeting was the ately accepted their son’s Doshi, a cancer survivor, meets and the case is with Supreme
venue — a lounge bar — a sexual bend, but there were as parents to make them realise Court now.
departure from the usual many, who first tried other that being gay is not a crime or
house meetings. methods to mend their son’s a hormonal disorder. “One just
Not gossip anymore
gay ‘tendencies’. One such needs to accept things. I could
parent Mrs Shah (name fight my cancer because I
Did you know?
“Ever since the issue of Article changed) took her son to an accepted it and the same held Indian laws do not allow the
377 came up, it has reached astrologer, then to a sexologist true for my son. I accepted him adoption of a child by a gay or
dining rooms in the form of and finally to a psychiatrist. the way he was and today we lesbian couple
TEEN NEIGHBOUR MORNING
LATEST
RAPES 4-YR-OLD
Brutalised girl needs surgery; alleged rapist is absconding
KRANTI VIBHUTE
kranti.vibhute@mid-day.com
AN 18-year-old boy took advan-
tage of an empty home last
night and raped his four-and-
half-year-old neighbour. The
boy, Bindu, a resident of
Kherwadi in Bandra, lured Bina
Sharma (name changed to pro-
tect identity) to his house under
the pretext of mopping up some
spilled water on the floor.
The incident took place at
around 10 pm. Bindu was alone
at home, as his father, a waiter,
was at work and his mother had BROKEN: Shashi Sharma waits outside V N Desai municipal hospital,
gone to Shirdi. Santacuz, at 2.30 am with his youngest daughter (not the victim).
Shashi Sharma (name PIC/SAYED SAMEER ABEDI
changed), the victim’s father Her condition was so bad that against Bindu at the Nehru
and a pani puri seller, said, “I my wife started crying. We Nagar police station. An on-
was at my stall when my elder rushed her to V N Desai munic- duty official from the police
son came running and ipal hospital in Santacruz.” station told MiD DAY, “As the
informed me about the inci- Bina has suffered severe girl is in a state of shock, we
dent. It’s very shocking to injuries. She’ll be operated have taken her mother’s state-
realise a neighbourhood boy upon today. ment. We are searching for
could do something so mon- Shocked at the incident, one Bindu, who fled after commit-
strous to my daughter.” neighbour, said, “Though ting the crime.”
Describe the incident, Bindu was very mischievous, Bindu’s father too remained
Sharma added, “My daughter we never expected that he unreachable.
came crying to her mother. She would do such a thing.” He added that they’d take
had blood all over her clothes. A case of threatening and the victim’s statement as soon
Even her ears were bleeding. rape has been registered as her condition improved.