Implications of Decriminalizing LGBT Relations in India
Bigyan Sharma
July 06, 2009
As a high court at New Delhi decriminalizes the homosexual practice, the day of July 2 will be the day of merry making for all Indian homosexuals. The verdict will cheer up the LGBT-lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals because their long complain that Indian government has not been treating them as citizen and deprived from rights to love and life, has been wrapped up with this pronouncement. The court has broken down age -old long discrimination by legitimizing the homosexual relations between and among the adults amidst the criticism of some conservative Indian sections and their leaders.
India is not only in the center of heated debate over the question of legitimacy of LGBT practice, many countries are under this debate. The growing statistics of homosexuals worldwide has forced some western countries to decriminalize the homosexual practice but in eastern societies are still rigid to deal with this subject generally labeling homosexual relations as 'unnatural offences'.
The growing number of homosexuals is forcing eastern world to accept this practice. It is difficult to figure out how many gays and lesbians are there in the world? The answer is difficult to find because not only are same-sex preferences considered taboo, in many countries they are defined as criminals. Based on the findings of some research, online version of Times of India recently said that most studies have been carried out in western countries and they report a wide range — anything between 2% and 13% of the population exhibits same sex preference.
The report quoted National Aids Control Organizations Expert Group on high risk groups in India as saying that there are 2.5 million males having sex with males. But if the most conservative western estimate of 2% is taken, and extrapolated on the Indian population in the assumption that gayness is universal, the Indian gay community — including men and women — would at least be over 20 million strong. At the upper end of 13%, it would be as large as the country´s largest minority community. The first and path-breaking estimate came in the Kinsey report on male sexuality in the US, published in 1948, that an astonishing 46% males were attracted to both sexes while 37% reported having sex with other males. The report came in for criticism for its methodology.
According to the report, two other prominent surveys in US — the Hite report of 1991 and the Janus study of 1993 — reported exclusive homosexuality among 1% to 10% of surveyed people, with male gays slightly higher in number than lesbians. Several other studies confirmed similar ranges. In an exit poll taken on polling day for the 2008 Presidential election in the US, 4% of those surveyed declared themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual. A 1992 study found that 6.1% of males in Britain and 4.1% in France had experienced homosexual activity. In Norway, 12% of those surveyed in 2003 reported having homosexual activity. In New Zealand, 20% of participants in a 2006 study said that they secretly had homosexual feelings, but only 2-3% identified themselves as homosexuals. These statistics are enough to indicate the growth pattern of so called unethical relationship.
Delhi high courts verdict will have many implications. Experts fear that the decreminalisation of homosexual relationship will spark huge influx in Indian capital New Delhi thereby making it as the city of homosexual and inviting clash with conservative sections. For many Hindu fundamentalists, it will be tough to go after the globally mounting need for change. Once India enforces the law, it will also inspire many other Asian countries to decriminalizing LGBT relations within a certain time span.
India is not only in the center of heated debate over the question of legitimacy of LGBT practice, many countries are under this debate. The growing statistics of homosexuals worldwide has forced some western countries to decriminalize the homosexual practice but in eastern societies are still rigid to deal with this subject generally labeling homosexual relations as 'unnatural offences'.
The growing number of homosexuals is forcing eastern world to accept this practice. It is difficult to figure out how many gays and lesbians are there in the world? The answer is difficult to find because not only are same-sex preferences considered taboo, in many countries they are defined as criminals. Based on the findings of some research, online version of Times of India recently said that most studies have been carried out in western countries and they report a wide range — anything between 2% and 13% of the population exhibits same sex preference.
The report quoted National Aids Control Organizations Expert Group on high risk groups in India as saying that there are 2.5 million males having sex with males. But if the most conservative western estimate of 2% is taken, and extrapolated on the Indian population in the assumption that gayness is universal, the Indian gay community — including men and women — would at least be over 20 million strong. At the upper end of 13%, it would be as large as the country´s largest minority community. The first and path-breaking estimate came in the Kinsey report on male sexuality in the US, published in 1948, that an astonishing 46% males were attracted to both sexes while 37% reported having sex with other males. The report came in for criticism for its methodology.
According to the report, two other prominent surveys in US — the Hite report of 1991 and the Janus study of 1993 — reported exclusive homosexuality among 1% to 10% of surveyed people, with male gays slightly higher in number than lesbians. Several other studies confirmed similar ranges. In an exit poll taken on polling day for the 2008 Presidential election in the US, 4% of those surveyed declared themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual. A 1992 study found that 6.1% of males in Britain and 4.1% in France had experienced homosexual activity. In Norway, 12% of those surveyed in 2003 reported having homosexual activity. In New Zealand, 20% of participants in a 2006 study said that they secretly had homosexual feelings, but only 2-3% identified themselves as homosexuals. These statistics are enough to indicate the growth pattern of so called unethical relationship.
Delhi high courts verdict will have many implications. Experts fear that the decreminalisation of homosexual relationship will spark huge influx in Indian capital New Delhi thereby making it as the city of homosexual and inviting clash with conservative sections. For many Hindu fundamentalists, it will be tough to go after the globally mounting need for change. Once India enforces the law, it will also inspire many other Asian countries to decriminalizing LGBT relations within a certain time span.
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