Homosexuality in India
Encyclopedia
Homosexuality is generally considered a taboo subject by both India
n civil society and the government
. Public discussion of homosexuality in India has been inhibited by the fact that sexuality in any form is rarely discussed openly. In recent years, however, attitudes towards homosexuality have shifted slightly. In particular, there have been more depictions and discussions of homosexuality in the Indian news media and by Bollywood
. On 2 July 2009, the Delhi High Court
decriminalised homosexual intercourse between consenting adults, throughout India, where Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code
was adjudged to violate the fundamental right to life and liberty and the right to equality as guaranteed by the Constitution of India
.
Several organisations like the Naz Foundation (India) Trust
, the National AIDS Control Organisation
, Law Commission of India, Union Health Ministry
, National Human Rights Commission and The Planning Commission of India have either implicitly, or expressly come out in support of decriminalising homosexuality
in India, and pushed for tolerance and social equality for lesbian
, gay, bisexual
, and transgender
ed people. India is among countries with a social element of a third gender
.
Religion has played a role in shaping Indian customs and traditions. While homosexuality has not been explicitly mentioned in the religious texts central to Hinduism
, the largest religion in India
, Hinduism has taken various positions, ranging from positive to neutral or antagonistic. Rigveda
, one of the four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism says Vikruti Evam Prakriti (what seems un-natural is also natural), which some scholars believe recognises the cyclical constancy of homosexual/transsexual dimensions of human life , like all forms of universal diversities. Historical literary evidence indicates that homosexuality has been prevalent across the Indian subcontinent throughout history, and that homosexuals were not necessarily considered inferior in any way.
, Delhi
, Kolkata
, Chennai
and Bangalore
. It is these metropolitan cities that have become the hub of the new Indian gay culture with its urban outlook and acceptance towards homosexuality. Although there are not many exclusive gay clubs and bars yet, most upscale straight bars and clubs in these cities have regular designated nights of the week tailored for gay clientele. The reports of harassment of homosexual individuals and gatherings by the police have seen a gradual decline since 2004. As the de-criminalisation of homosexuality in India is a very recent occurrence many people are still taking time getting used to idea of openly gay couples, which was never the norm, and there has been some opposition in that regard, but mostly by religious-fundamentalist leaders. However, many social and human rights activists have been working to promote an increased acceptance of homosexuality. Time Out (Delhi) has a dedicated column covering gay events in Delhi every week. Now with the emergence of several LGBT support groups across the nation, the much hidden queer community has increased access to health services and social events
The Internet has created a prolific gay cyber culture for the South Asian community. Gay dating websites provide an alternative way for meeting people; online communities also offer a safe and convenient environment for meeting gays all around India. The blogosphere
has also not been immune to the modern emergence of a queer desi identity. Web logs highlight stories and issues specific to this marginalised community. With India becoming more open to homosexuality, several organisations in the country have recently started promoting the country as a destination for gay tourists from around the world.
Though Bollywood has gay and transsexual characters, they have been primarily ridiculed or abused. There are few positive portrayals of late like Onir
's My Brother Nikhil
, Reema Kagti's Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.
, and Parvati Balagopalan's Rules: Pyaar Ka Superhit Formula
but they have been sporadic and not mainstream. There have also been a few independent films that deal with homosexuality like Sridhar Rangayan
's Gulabi Aaina – The Pink Mirror
, Yours Emotionally
, 68 Pages
and Ashish Sawhney's Happy Hookers. The first Indian film to deal openly with homosexual relations was Fire by Indian-Canadian director Deepa Mehta
. With its 1997 release in India it stirred up a heated controversy throughout the country. Recently Bollywood has appeared more tolerant toward homosexual relationships and has begun to portray them in a better light, such as in Dostana
and Men Not Allowed. Actors of Indian descent have played homosexual roles in foreign movies. Lisa Ray
and Sheetal Sheth
played gay roles opposite each other in Shamim Sarif
's I Can't Think Straight
and The World Unseen
. Jimi Mistry
played a man trying to come out to his mother in Ian Iqbal Rashid
's Touch of Pink
.
In 2010, a Tamil
film Goa
, dealt with gay couples, their love and romance. It was the first Tamil
film to portray same-sex love.
Indian television has also begun to depict gay characters. In 2011, the popular soap opera "Maryada: Lekin Kab Tak?" (Honour: But at What Cost?) featured a plot line involving a gay couple, and was among a handful of television shows including gay characters.
commonly known as the ‘Anti-sodomy Law’. This act criminalises same sex sexual behaviour irrespective of the age and consent of the people involved, posing one of the most significant challenges in effective HIV/AIDS interventions with sexual minorities.
on HIV/AIDS, said "countries protecting homosexuals from discrimination had better records of protecting them from getting infected by the diseases. [But] unfortunately in India, the rates of new infections among men who have sex with men continue to go up. Until we acknowledge these behaviours and work with people involved with these behaviours, we are not going to halt and reverse the HIV epidemic. Countries which protect men who have sex with men... have double the rate of coverage of HIV prevention services—as much as 60 percent." In talking to The Hindu
, he added that "The United Progressive Alliance
government here is in a difficult position as far as amending Section 377
of the Indian Penal Code is concerned because of the coming elections as any changes could be misrepresented. We need to change the laws, sensitise the police and judiciary....But when discriminatory laws have been removed, marginalised people have got access to treatment and prevention facilities like condoms." Warning of the urgency he said, "India has achieved success in checking the spread of this dreaded disease through commercial sex workers but transmission through gay sex, and injectable-drug users is still an area of concern. Injectable-drug use can also be controlled through targeted interventions but is difficult to control or change people’s sexual orientation."
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n civil society and the government
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
. Public discussion of homosexuality in India has been inhibited by the fact that sexuality in any form is rarely discussed openly. In recent years, however, attitudes towards homosexuality have shifted slightly. In particular, there have been more depictions and discussions of homosexuality in the Indian news media and by Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
. On 2 July 2009, the Delhi High Court
Delhi High Court
The High Court of Delhi was established on 31 October 1966. The High Court of Delhi was established with four judges. They were Chief Justice K. S. Hegde, Justice I. D. Dua, Justice H. R. Khanna and Justice S. K. Kapur.-History:...
decriminalised homosexual intercourse between consenting adults, throughout India, where Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code
Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code
Chapter XVI, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code is a piece of legislation in India introduced during British rule of India that criminalises sexual activity "against the order of nature." The section was read down to decriminalise same-sex behaviour among consenting adults in a historic...
was adjudged to violate the fundamental right to life and liberty and the right to equality as guaranteed by the Constitution of India
Constitution of India
The Constitution of India is the supreme law of India. It lays down the framework defining fundamental political principles, establishes the structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions, and sets out fundamental rights, directive principles, and the duties of citizens...
.
Several organisations like the Naz Foundation (India) Trust
Naz Foundation (India) Trust
The Naz Foundation Trust is a non-governmental organisation in that country that works on HIV/AIDS and sexual health. It is based in the Indian capital of New Delhi.-History:...
, the National AIDS Control Organisation
National AIDS Control Organisation
The National AIDS Control Organisation , established in 1992, is a division of India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare that provides leadership to HIV/AIDS control programme in India through 35 HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Societies, and is "the nodal organisation for formulation of policy...
, Law Commission of India, Union Health Ministry
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is the Indian government ministry charged with health policy in India. It is also responsible for all government programs relating to family planning in India....
, National Human Rights Commission and The Planning Commission of India have either implicitly, or expressly come out in support of decriminalising homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
in India, and pushed for tolerance and social equality for lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, gay, bisexual
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
, and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
ed people. India is among countries with a social element of a third gender
Third gender
The terms third gender and third sex describe individuals who are categorized as neither man nor woman, as well as the social category present in those societies who recognize three or more genders...
.
Religion has played a role in shaping Indian customs and traditions. While homosexuality has not been explicitly mentioned in the religious texts central to Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
, the largest religion in India
Religion in India
Indian religions is a classification for religions that originated in the Indian subcontinent; namely Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. These religions are also classified as Eastern religions...
, Hinduism has taken various positions, ranging from positive to neutral or antagonistic. Rigveda
Rigveda
The Rigveda is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns...
, one of the four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism says Vikruti Evam Prakriti (what seems un-natural is also natural), which some scholars believe recognises the cyclical constancy of homosexual/transsexual dimensions of human life , like all forms of universal diversities. Historical literary evidence indicates that homosexuality has been prevalent across the Indian subcontinent throughout history, and that homosexuals were not necessarily considered inferior in any way.
LGBT culture in India
Since the de-criminalistion of homosexuality in India there has been a vibrant gay nightlife in metro cities such as MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
and Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
. It is these metropolitan cities that have become the hub of the new Indian gay culture with its urban outlook and acceptance towards homosexuality. Although there are not many exclusive gay clubs and bars yet, most upscale straight bars and clubs in these cities have regular designated nights of the week tailored for gay clientele. The reports of harassment of homosexual individuals and gatherings by the police have seen a gradual decline since 2004. As the de-criminalisation of homosexuality in India is a very recent occurrence many people are still taking time getting used to idea of openly gay couples, which was never the norm, and there has been some opposition in that regard, but mostly by religious-fundamentalist leaders. However, many social and human rights activists have been working to promote an increased acceptance of homosexuality. Time Out (Delhi) has a dedicated column covering gay events in Delhi every week. Now with the emergence of several LGBT support groups across the nation, the much hidden queer community has increased access to health services and social events
The Internet has created a prolific gay cyber culture for the South Asian community. Gay dating websites provide an alternative way for meeting people; online communities also offer a safe and convenient environment for meeting gays all around India. The blogosphere
Blogosphere
The blogosphere is made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community or as a social network in which everyday authors can publish their opinions...
has also not been immune to the modern emergence of a queer desi identity. Web logs highlight stories and issues specific to this marginalised community. With India becoming more open to homosexuality, several organisations in the country have recently started promoting the country as a destination for gay tourists from around the world.
Though Bollywood has gay and transsexual characters, they have been primarily ridiculed or abused. There are few positive portrayals of late like Onir
Onir
Onir is an Indian film director, editor, writer and producer. He is best known for his film My Brother... Nikhil, one of the first mainstream Hindi films to deal with AIDS and same-sex relationships.-Life and career:...
's My Brother Nikhil
My Brother Nikhil
My Brother… Nikhil is a 2005 Indian film set in Goa. The movie portrays the life of the protagonist, Nikhil, from 1987 to 1994, when AIDS awareness in India was considerably low...
, Reema Kagti's Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.
Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.
Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. is a Bollywood movie, released on 23 February 2007. It is produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani through Excel Entertainment and has marked the debut of Reema Kagti as a director. The movie has six different part in it...
, and Parvati Balagopalan's Rules: Pyaar Ka Superhit Formula
Rules: Pyaar Ka Superhit Formula
Rules: Pyaar Ka Superhit Formula is a 2003 Bollywood film.-Synopsis:Radha is employed with an advertising agency, and has a chance to see and meet prominent models. She meets her dreamboat, Vikram Verma , on one such day...
but they have been sporadic and not mainstream. There have also been a few independent films that deal with homosexuality like Sridhar Rangayan
Sridhar Rangayan
Sridhar Rangayan ) is an Indian filmmaker who has made films with special focus on queer subjects. His queer films, The Pink Mirror and Yours Emotionally, have been considered groundbreaking because of their realistic and sympathetic portrayal of the largely closeted Indian gay community...
's Gulabi Aaina – The Pink Mirror
The Pink Mirror
The Pink Mirror, the Indian release title Gulabi Aaina is an award-winning Indian film drama produced and directed by Sridhar Rangayan. Said to be the first Indian film to comprehensively focus on Indian transsexuals with the entire story revolving around two transsexuals and a gay teenager's...
, Yours Emotionally
Yours Emotionally
Yours Emotionally is a United Kingdom-Indian co-produced film with a gay theme. The film was selected for participation in LGBT film festivals in San Francisco , New York , Amsterdam and others.-Summary:The film raises issues of cultural identities and challenges stereotypes...
, 68 Pages
68 Pages
68 Pages is a 2007 Indian film about a HIV/AIDS counselor and five of her counselees who are from various marginalized communities. The film is directed by Sridhar Rangayan and produced by The Humsafar Trust in association with Solaris Pictures. It had its world premiere at the International Film...
and Ashish Sawhney's Happy Hookers. The first Indian film to deal openly with homosexual relations was Fire by Indian-Canadian director Deepa Mehta
Deepa Mehta
Deepa Mehta, LLD is a Genie Award-winning Indian-born Canadian film director and screenwriter, most known for her Elements Trilogy, Fire , Earth , and Water , among which Earth was submitted by Indian government for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film...
. With its 1997 release in India it stirred up a heated controversy throughout the country. Recently Bollywood has appeared more tolerant toward homosexual relationships and has begun to portray them in a better light, such as in Dostana
Dostana (2008 film)
Dostana is a 2008 romantic comedy film. It stars Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham and Priyanka Chopra in the lead roles. The film was directed by Tarun Mansukhani who previously was Karan Johar's assistant. It was produced by Dharma Productions....
and Men Not Allowed. Actors of Indian descent have played homosexual roles in foreign movies. Lisa Ray
Lisa Ray
Lisa Ray , born 4 April 1972, is a Canadian actress and former model.-Early life:Lisa Ray was born in Toronto to a Bengali Indian father and a Polish mother and grew up in the suburb of Etobicoke...
and Sheetal Sheth
Sheetal Sheth
Sheetal Sheth is an actress who is known for her wide range of roles in an impressive body of work in film, television, and theater. She has starred in many feature films, perhaps best known for starring opposite Albert Brooks in Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World...
played gay roles opposite each other in Shamim Sarif
Shamim Sarif
Shamim Sarif is a novelist and filmmaker of South Asian and South African heritage. Her roots inspired her to write her award-winning debut novel, The World Unseen, which explores issues of race, gender and sexuality, which she later adapted into a film starring Lisa Ray, shown at the London Film...
's I Can't Think Straight
I Can't Think Straight
I Can't Think Straight is a 2007 romance movie about a London-based Jordanian of Palestinian descent, Tala, who is preparing for an elaborate wedding. A turn of events causes her to have an affair and subsequently fall in love with another woman, Leyla, a British Indian. The movie is distributed by...
and The World Unseen
The World Unseen
The World Unseen is a 2008 historical drama film written and directed by Shamim Sarif, adapted from her own novel. The film is set in 1950s Cape Town, South Africa during the beginning of apartheid...
. Jimi Mistry
Jimi Mistry
-Early life:Mistry, was born in Scarborough, Yorkshire, England to an Indian Hindu father and an Irish Roman Catholic mother. He was brought up a Roman Catholic and attended St. James' Catholic High in Cheadle Hulme before his family moved to Cardiff where he attended Radyr Comprehensive School...
played a man trying to come out to his mother in Ian Iqbal Rashid
Ian Iqbal Rashid
Born in 1971 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Ian Iqbal Rashid is a poet, screenwriter and filmmaker.In his early childhood, his family were forced to leave Tanzania. After failing to secure asylum in the UK and US, they settled in Canada...
's Touch of Pink
Touch of Pink
Touch of Pink is a 2004 film directed and written by Ian Iqbal Rashid. and takes its name from the Cary Grant film That Touch of Mink.-Synopsis:...
.
In 2010, a Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
film Goa
Goa (film)
Goa is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Venkat Prabhu, who with the project, directed his third film following two previous successes...
, dealt with gay couples, their love and romance. It was the first Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
film to portray same-sex love.
Indian television has also begun to depict gay characters. In 2011, the popular soap opera "Maryada: Lekin Kab Tak?" (Honour: But at What Cost?) featured a plot line involving a gay couple, and was among a handful of television shows including gay characters.
Advocacy for legalising homosexuality
The Naz Foundation (India), a New Delhi based NGO is at the forefront of the campaign to decriminalise homosexuality. The organisation aims to sensitise the community to the prevalence of HIV, as well as highlight issues related to sexuality and sexual health. The organisation has strong linkages with human rights groups and agencies such as Lawyers Collective, Human Right Law Network, Amnesty International, International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. Naz India has collaborated with these agencies to address cases of sexual rights abuse. Naz India’s efforts in sensitising the government to different issues related to the epidemic include the amendment of Section 377 of the Indian Penal CodeSection 377 of the Indian Penal Code
Chapter XVI, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code is a piece of legislation in India introduced during British rule of India that criminalises sexual activity "against the order of nature." The section was read down to decriminalise same-sex behaviour among consenting adults in a historic...
commonly known as the ‘Anti-sodomy Law’. This act criminalises same sex sexual behaviour irrespective of the age and consent of the people involved, posing one of the most significant challenges in effective HIV/AIDS interventions with sexual minorities.
International pressure
The United Nations urged India to decriminalise homosexuality by saying it would help the fight against HIV/AIDS by allowing intervention programmes, much like the successful ones in China and Brazil. Jeffrey O'Malley, director of the United Nations Development ProgrammeUnited Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...
on HIV/AIDS, said "countries protecting homosexuals from discrimination had better records of protecting them from getting infected by the diseases. [But] unfortunately in India, the rates of new infections among men who have sex with men continue to go up. Until we acknowledge these behaviours and work with people involved with these behaviours, we are not going to halt and reverse the HIV epidemic. Countries which protect men who have sex with men... have double the rate of coverage of HIV prevention services—as much as 60 percent." In talking to The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
, he added that "The United Progressive Alliance
United Progressive Alliance
The United Progressive Alliance is a ruling coalition of center-left political parties heading the government of India. The coalition is led by the Indian National Congress , which is currently the single largest political party in the Lok Sabha...
government here is in a difficult position as far as amending Section 377
Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code
Chapter XVI, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code is a piece of legislation in India introduced during British rule of India that criminalises sexual activity "against the order of nature." The section was read down to decriminalise same-sex behaviour among consenting adults in a historic...
of the Indian Penal Code is concerned because of the coming elections as any changes could be misrepresented. We need to change the laws, sensitise the police and judiciary....But when discriminatory laws have been removed, marginalised people have got access to treatment and prevention facilities like condoms." Warning of the urgency he said, "India has achieved success in checking the spread of this dreaded disease through commercial sex workers but transmission through gay sex, and injectable-drug users is still an area of concern. Injectable-drug use can also be controlled through targeted interventions but is difficult to control or change people’s sexual orientation."
See also
- LGBT rights in Asia
- Ashok Row KaviAshok Row KaviAshok Row Kavi is an Indian journalist and one of India's most prominent LGBT rights activists.He was born in Bombay, British India, now Mumbai, India, on June 1, 1947. He graduated with honors in Chemistry from the University of Bombay. Later, he dropped out of engineering college...
- Fire (1996 film)
- Homosexuality and HinduismHomosexuality and HinduismHindu views of homosexuality and, in general, LGBT issues, are diverse. Homosexuality is regarded as one of the possible expressions of human desire and Hindu mythic stories have portrayed homosexual experience as natural and joyful. There are several Hindu temples which have carvings that depict...
- Human rights in IndiaHuman rights in IndiaThe situation of human rights in India is a complex one, as a result of the country's large size and tremendous diversity, its status as a developing country and a sovereign, secular, democratic republic, and its history as a former colonial territory. The Constitution of India provides for...
- Lesbian Association of IndiaLesbian Association of IndiaEstablished in June 2007, the Lesbian Association of India is a United Kingdom-based organisation working to support lesbian and bisexual women in India, which has a population of 1.12 billion. There are many independent or small organisations working for LGBT groups in larger cities within India,...
- Non-westernized concepts of male sexuality
- Parvez SharmaParvez SharmaParvez Sharma is an internationally renowned New York based Indian writer and filmmaker. He is best known for the multiple award winning and acclaimed film A Jihad for Love, on gay and lesbian Muslims....
- Sridhar RangayanSridhar RangayanSridhar Rangayan ) is an Indian filmmaker who has made films with special focus on queer subjects. His queer films, The Pink Mirror and Yours Emotionally, have been considered groundbreaking because of their realistic and sympathetic portrayal of the largely closeted Indian gay community...
- R. Raj RaoR. Raj RaoR. Raj Rao is a writer and teacher of literature and "one of India’s leading gay-rights activists." His 2003 novel The Boyfriend is one of the first gay novels to come from India. Rao was one of the first recipients of the newly-established Quebec-India awards.-Personal life:R. Raj Rao was born in...
- TrikoneTrikoneTrikone is a non-profit support, social, and political organization for South Asian bisexual, lesbian, gay, and transgender people. It was founded in 1986 in the San Francisco Bay Area and claims to be the oldest group of its kind in the world...
- Hijra (South Asia)Hijra (South Asia)In the culture of South Asia, hijras or chakka in Kannada, khusra in Punjabi and kojja in Telugu are physiological males who have feminine gender identity, women's clothing and other feminine gender roles. Hijras have a long recorded history in the Indian subcontinent, from the antiquity, as...
External links
- http://hotglobule.blogspot.com/
- An open letter to the Government of India, Members of the Judiciary, and All Citizens from Vikram SethVikram SethVikram Seth is an Indian poet, novelist, travel writer, librettist, children's writer, biographer and memoirist.-Early life:Vikram Seth was born on 20 June 1952 to Leila and Prem Seth in Calcutta...
- India Set to Decriminalise Homosexuality?
- India's Historic Ruling on Gay Rights – TIME Magazine
- Gay Bombay Website http://www.gaybombay.org