Indian gays coming out of closet
NEW DELHI, Feb. 5 (Kyodo) - By: Kanak Nair An increasing number of middle-class Indian gays are ‘‘coming out of the closet,’’ much to the disapproval and consternation of their families.
In an indication of their growing confidence, gays have lifted the veil of secrecy over an annual gay and lesbian film festival in the capital, opening it to the public for the first time in its eight-year existence.
Apart from watching short films made by South Asian directors, the capital’s gay community held panel discussions on various issues confronting it.
‘‘It was a coming out for us,’’ said a visibly thrilled university graduate, who refused to give his name for fear of being rejected by his family. One person said he told his mother about his sexual preference through a film.
Though widely perceived as a deviance or perversion, homosexuality is being slowly accepted by Indians. The subject is no longer taboo and has been taken up on satellite television and the Internet, among other media.
Chat shows, media coverage and films exploring homosexuality have helped make Indians more open.
Though there is no definitive study on India’s gay population, activists estimate there are more than 50 million homosexuals among India’s population of one billion.
Even though the number of gays who are ‘‘coming out’’ is on the rise, with a new group representing gays’ interests getting registered every six months, gay activists say Indian society can never unequivocally accept homosexuality.
‘‘Gays must create their own niches, for they will always remain a minority and while they may be tolerated, they can never be accepted completely,’’ said Owais Khan, a computer engineer and gay activist.
Sylvie, one of India’s leading hair stylists, was perhaps the first to discover this niche in India. He married the man he loved in New York and returned to India in 1987 at a time when homosexuality was vilified.
‘‘India for us was a culture shock and homosexuality a taboo. Gays were treated as if they had horns,’’ said Sylvie, who is often seen in drag at social gatherings in New Delhi.
Only in the 1990s did the gay community show signs of ‘‘coming out’’ for the first time. The first journal for homosexuals, Bombay Dost (Bombay Friend), was launched in 1991 and the first conference took place in Bombay (Mumbai) in 1995.
India’s first Web site for gays was launched last year by a New Delhi-based businessman.
A majority of India’s gay and lesbian community, fearing reprisals from their families and society, enter heterosexual marriages against their wishes.
The attitude toward them varies from city to city. In small towns and villages, homosexuals lead a miserable existence, according to gay activists.
In cities, there are few hangouts for gays, and interaction is mostly confined to parties at private residences or at the few centers offering counseling for gays.
Societal oppression often drives gays to indulge in unsafe and unprotected sex. Ironically, the specter of AIDS, which heightened prejudice against gays, helped spread gay awareness in the country.
Many middle- and upper-class gays are now aware of AIDS and much of their counseling sessions focuses on safe sex, says Khan, who works with Humrahi Trust, a New Delhi-based organization for gays.
Homosexuality is widely perceived as a malaise in India. When men and women reveal their same-sex preference to their families, they are often taken to doctors, psychiatrists or quacks who may try to cure their ‘‘disease’’ by giving them electric shocks or turning to the gods.
Last year, Hindu nationalists objected to the Indian film ‘‘Fire’’ because of its lesbian theme and resorted to violence and arson to prevent its screening.
The gay community in India has existed clandestinely for centuries. It is mentioned in ancient Hindu texts and is evident in temple sculptures.
According to Ashok Row Kavi, a well-known Indian gay activist, the gay community evolved over time due to reasons such as the breakup of the extended family system and the anonymity that resulted from urbanization which in turn brought the gay community together.
He also cites industrialization, which valued the skill of a person and not his personality, and the growing empowerment of women. Another factor he mentions is the male-female ratio in India – there are 927 women for every 1,000 men.
In India, intimacy between people of the same sex has been outlawed since the British first introduced laws against sodomy in their colonies in the 1830s. The law still remains in India, even after having been repealed in Britain.
Gays in India face police harassment, detention and other forms of abuse.
‘‘Gay men and women do not have to be engaged in sexual activity in order to be vulnerable to police harassment under the law. Police often target areas where they think gay men may be ‘cruising’ for dates,’’ said a gay lawyer who wishes to remain anonymous.
The lack of gay hangouts confines homosexuals to public parks, where they may be frequently harassed, sexually abused and blackmailed by police, he said.
Sylvie, the hair stylist, remains optimistic, however. Indian gays will continue to be a minority but the day that they gain their own identity may not be far away, he says.