Relations Between Homosexuality and Indian Culture Term Paper

Introduction

Sexual orientation involves personal aspects like sex identity in relation with other people. Homosexuality entails sexual relations among members of the same sex, for example, between men or between women. It is a sexual orientation just like any other, for instance, heterosexual and bisexual relationships and it’s a normal deviation in human sexuality. Lesbianism is used to describe the sexual relationship and affiliations among women while gay is used to refer to the sexual relationships among men.

Homosexuality is equivalent and should be treated in a similar manner as heterosexuality since the difference only comes in the gender of the participants involved. It is however a concept that is associated with a lot of controversies as some people admire and appreciate it while others condones it and they are against it completely.

In India, homosexuality is condemned and those involved in the practice are not appreciated but viewed and treated with a lot of negativity (Abraham and Abraham 1). The government of India should therefore take measures to do something about violence, discrimination, torture, and harassment against homosexuals and lesbians in the country since they also have their rights just like the bisexual and heterosexual citizens and their choice for homosexuality is just a way of life.

Reason for Lesbianism

There are many reasons associated with the desire to be a lesbian and have sexual relationships with women as opposed to men. Some believe that women decide to become lesbians because of bad experiences they could have had with men, for example, rapes or other forms of mistreatments which creates fear and bad feelings towards men hence the choice of lesbianism as a better option of sexual expression and gratification.

Others view it as a consolation or defence action against lack of good men who can be trusted in relationships and offer the emotional and sexual satisfaction required by the women. This is however not applicable to all cases of lesbianism as some just engage in it as they prefer having emotional and sexual affiliations with women (Rust 87).

Indian Culture, How They View and Treat Homosexuality

Different nations and communities perceive the aspect of homosexuality differently depending on their culture. Homosexuality is not an accepted concept in India. It is a practice that has been in existence for a long time in India but was first brought out and made known in 1998 in the amazing film titled ‘fire’ where two women, sisters- in –law, were lesbian lovers.

As a result of this, many people against homosexuality protested and advocated for closure of cinema places that showed the film while lesbians and gay people also protested against their discrimination and poor treatment. Lesbianism is a relatively silent practice in India as opposed to gay practice and even the organizations for women do not really advocate for or promote it. Homosexuality in men (gay) is however open and is becoming acceptable to some people and there are clubs that fully support it.

Some of the clubs and groups that promote gay and lesbianism are; khush club, the counsel club, Saathi group and Sappho lesbian support group. There are however various rules and laws against the practices of lesbianism and even gay, for instance, ‘‘carnal intercourse against the order of nature (anal intercourse) is a ten-year offence under article 377 of the penal code, while laws against obscene behaviour can be used to arrest gay men for cruising or liaising anywhere that could be considered a public place’’ (Abram 81).

Lesbianism is traced back to civilization days and therefore it can never be omitted in Hinduism history. The religion condemns any sexual behaviour that is not in line with the normal man-woman relationship, for example, homosexuality, premarital, and extramarital sex.

There was severe punishment for homosexuality behaviour, for example, a lesbian would have her head shaved, her two fingers chopped off and rode on a donkey if she had sexual intercourse with a virgin woman and the penalty for two women virgins involved in lesbianism was ten slashes, double payment of marriage charges or bride price and a fine of two hundred panas. From this, it is evident that ‘‘Lesbianism had no place at all and was frowned upon with severe condemnation’’ (Greenberg 362).

Regardless of the restriction against and condemnation of homosexuality, it was still practiced in India as love and sexual relationships among people of the same gender were evident. A good example is that of Radha a well recognized consort of Krishna who was known to have many female friends with whom she had close and sexual relationships.

Women from the royal families also had homosexual relationships with their house helps whom they treated as men and even told them to behave and dress like men.

Modernization has however brought about changes in beliefs and perceptions about homosexuality and the rate of marriages among lesbians is increasing in India. In addition, ‘‘lesbianism is legitimized and supported through the Gay and Lesbian Vaishnava Association of the USA and since 1986, through the publication of the lesbian and gay magazine Trikone in San Francisco’’ (Greenberg 362).

Specific Experiences/Stories about Lesbians and How They Are Treated

There are examples of lesbianism incidences that can help us understand how lesbianism was perceived and how the lesbians were treated. For instance, there was a woman by the name Tarulata who decided to change her sex so that she could be able to marry another woman by the name Lila Chavda.

This issue received a lot of objection as Lila’s father was completely against the marriage and even took the matter to court insisting that the marriage should not take place with the main reason being that he did not approve any lesbian relationship.

The petition necessitated that criminal action be taken against Tarulata with the main justification being that she did not have the male organ and that there was no reason for cohabitation or marriage of the two as there was no means under which children procreation could occur. ‘‘Although the outcome of the case is not known, activists report that the law is often used as a coercive weapon to break up lesbian relationships’’ (Zimmerman and Haggerty 391).

There was also another case of Urmilla and Lila who were both police women in India and got married. Although they took the courageous step of making their marriage known by taking it to the temple in the presence of witnesses, this was not accepted and they were forced to undergo medical check ups after which they were even forced out of their jobs (Zimmerman and Haggerty 391).

Another case is where a student leader was forced out of his leadership position in a Christian group due to his homosexuality relationship (Greenberg, Bruess and Conklin 367). These examples are enough to tell us how bad the lesbians were treated and how their rights were not considered as they were treated quite differently from the heterosexual people.

Groups and Organization to Protect Homosexuals

There are groups and clubs, though few, formed to safeguard the rights of the homosexuals, for example, the Gay and Lesbian Vaishnava Association of the USA. Others include the centre for feminist legal research which promotes women rights, Shakhi; the lesbian guesthouse and resource centre, the counsel club that is a support group for lesbians, gay men, transsexuals and bisexuals and Sappho, which is a lesbian support group among others.

These groups form a basis of identity for the homosexuals and help them to share some aspects together regardless of the rejection they face from the heterosexuals (Abram 81). The rate of discrimination, violence, torture, and harassment against homosexuals and lesbians in India is too much and the government should therefore take actions aimed at reducing the rate.

This is because it has been seen as the source of the increasing incidences of suicide among the lesbians in India as a result of social stigma. Homosexuality should not be viewed as an aspect that undermines religion and community’s beliefs but as a way of life just like heterosexuality (Manjunath 1).

Conclusion

The general attitude of people towards homosexuality varies from time to time and also from one place to another depending on the prevalent culture of the people. To some, homosexuality is just a mere sin, to some it is a form of casual integration and to some it is just a normal and acceptable behaviour.

There are however some laws and judicial strategies that are against it and works towards suppressing it through punishments and penalties. The government should however take necessary actions to prevent discrimination and torture towards the homosexuals as they also have some human rights.

Works Cited

Abraham K. C. and Abraham K. Ajit. “Homosexuality: Some Reflections From India – Homosexuality: Some Elements For An Ecumenical Discussion.” Ecumenical Review, 1998. Web.

Abram, D. Rough Guide to India.5th ed. USA: Rough Guides, 2003.

Greenberg S. Jerrold, Bruess E. Clint and Conklin C. Sarah. Exploring the Dimensions of Human Sexuality.4 ed., United Kingdom, Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2010.

Greenberg, K. Encyclopedia of love in world religions, Vo. 1, USA: Publisher-CLIO, 2008.

Manjunath, C. “Homosexuality in India, Where Tradition Still Rules.” Greatreporter, 2008. Web.

Rust C. Paula. Bisexuality and the Challenge to Lesbian Politics: Sex, Loyalty, and Revolution. New York: NYU Press, 1995.

Zimmerman, B. and Haggerty, G. Lesbian Histories and Cultures. Encyclopedia of Lesbian and Gay Histories and Cultures, Vol. 1. United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis, 1999.