Bengaluru: Exactly two years ago, the Supreme Court, inflicting a cruel blow on homosexuals, declared in a shocking statement that homosexuality was a crime.
Take the case of Rajeev, (name changed) who came out in the open about his sexuality. He is discriminated against at his work place every single day. Things have not changed much for him in the 21st century. There are demands constantly that this archaic law be repealed, by many members of parliament.
The court has left the matter in the hands of parliament to amend section 377 of the IPC, in vain. While the fight for the rights of LGBT people continues, the community remains deeply hurt. Rajeev admits, “There is a significant change in the attitude of people, but there still exists a huge gap. We homosexuals are perceived by a major section of people as some sort of aliens and are looked down upon.”
When the Supreme Court, in the year 2013, criminalised homosexuality, millions of ‘gays’ across the country were disappointed. Parties such as the Congress, JD (S) and AAP took a stand for the LGBT community while the BJP openly showed their opposition. On the whole, there has been no one really who voiced their concern over the issue for the last two years.
Sammer K, (name changed), a gay supporter, voiced his views. “ It is a tragedy that the judgment was against the vision of the founders of the Indian republic, which was eloquently expressed by the Delhi High Court. By re-criminalising LGBT persons, the judgment ignored the spirit of inclusiveness which is at the heart of the Indian Constitution as articulated by Jawaharlal Nehru. It also abandoned the principle of constitutional morality (ie. majorities don’t have a charter to discriminate against minorities purely because they are majorities) articulated by Dr. Ambedkar, which is the cornerstone of a diverse and plural nation.”
On the completion of two years of the judgement, Ravi K, (name changed), another gay supporter, said, “The judgment was a betrayal of the fundamental constitutional rights that promises that the dignity of all citizens should be recognized and that equal treatment is a non-negotiable element of the world's largest democracy. We are feeling the adverse impact of the judgment even after two years.”
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