
  ‘Let's paint the sky with the colours of rainbow,
             after every shower of oppression .
    And when the colours of this rainbow blends
 together, let the beautiful white light speak about
       purity and innocence your existence holds.’


Let it be the current ‘ Same sex marriage, not part of Indian culture or law’ or the 'cool' jokes your friend crack which highlights their homophobia - Is this how India was ? 

Where LGBTQIA has been confined to a limited space because of the widespread homophobia in the country ? 

No, LGBTQIA has a long history of acceptance in our culture.

From Vedic texts to the walls of  ancient temples, there are many descriptions which transcend gender norms and manifest multiple combinations of sex and gender. Indian society had a clear cut idea of it in the past. Transgender were accepted in ancient India as 'trityapakriti’. 

A country where Ardhanarishvara, the androgynous form of Shiva and Parvati is accepted and worshipped - In the same country, 'chakka’ is used as a joke or way to insult someone. 

Agni, worshipped as the god of fire is married to the male Moon god Soma but couple of days back the Solicitor General said same sex marriage is not a part of Indian culture. 

So, where did everything go wrong ? How did homophobia and transphobia grip India ? 

Colonisation of India. European Laws.

Section 377 of IPC was introduced in 1861, during British rule which criminalised sexual activities 'against the order of nature’. 

British Empire has a long legacy of homophobic legislation. 71 countries, where same sex relations is illegal - more than half of them was under British Rule. 

India had maintained a flexible view of sexuality and gender roles. But the British administration paid little attention to the local attitudes and enforced cis heteronormativity to feed their false superior homophobic self. 

Same sex relation has currently been decriminalize in India but marriage is still a big 'no’ and niether did decriminalization eliminate the gay jokes from the society. These are the same Indians who preach about reading Bhagavata Purana at least once in their life. 

In the Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu takes the form of Mohini, a beautiful enchantress, in order to trick the demons into giving up Amrita after the manthan. But Lord Shiva falls for Mohini, and they have a relationship, with Shiva being fully aware of the real identity of Mohini. The result of this union was a son (Lord Ayyappa)

We Indians don't have to accept a new culture to make the LGBTQIA+ community feel valid, loved and safe among us. We just have to transmigrate from the heteronormative mindset injected in us by our colonizers back to our gender fluid culture, which has always endorse the Satrangi love, let it be through Kama Sutra or holy scriptures. 

The government is accepting the community, but there needs to be a massive change at the psychosocial and sociological level. It's time to drop the fear and hatred because there is nothing which is happening against nature. Love can never be wrong. Love is acceptable in every colour because this feeling binds us together. And every human, irrespective of their gender identity is a part of the same galaxy. 

So let's come together because it’s time to fill the sky with many rainbows, celebrate pride and share our stories. 


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