India recently saw a victory of law and love. The five bench Supreme Court unanimously passed an order on IPC Section 377, making the country really free for everyone – including LGBTQ for the first time since 1861. The issue of Section 377 was first raised by NGO Naaz Foundation, which had in 2001 approached the Delhi High Court which had decriminalised sex between consenting adults of the same gender by holding the penal provision as "illegal". Moral policing often does not have a relationship with what law says or what the reality is. Changing such thought processes is an uphill task and can be achieved if it is tackled on some fronts: increase solidarity and educate masses. India is a vast and diverse country and attitudes towards this subject and experiences of LGBTI individuals vary vastly. The disparity between urban and rural India, language, caste, class and gender add further complexities to understanding this topic more fully.
Decriminalizing homosexuality was only the first step toward guaranteeing freedom to the LGBTQ community and that the Constitution envisaged much more. Human sexuality could not be confined to a binary and the state had no business in intruding in these matters, said a notable person. Treating homosexuality as a disorder or disease had a severe impact on the mental health of homosexuals.So,it must be understood that language used and behaviour towards LGBTQ community must be ethically correct.
Brining LGBTQ community into the mainstream education field will be a great leveller as they will be able to become employable while also showing that their presence doesn’t have any negative effects as some people always complains.
Startups could also help this community ,due to their flexible work culture,diverse people would be able to fit properly.
But the law can only change the law, not the attitude of people. It will take many more attempts and years before we can actually eradicate the stigma of being LGBTQ.
inclusivity #acceptance #iimtrichy #PRISM_IIMT
References : ET,India Today,Live Mint,UNDP
