The Indian society has never been accepting of same-sex marriages. Homosexuality is still considered a mental disorder by many. Does loving someone of the same sex make you abnormal? Everyone has an equal right and freedom to choose their partner and love the one they feel they want to be with. It was only recently that Section 377 of the IPC decriminalised consensual sex between adults of the same sex. It was on 6th September, 2018, when finally, many Indians were freed from a shackle of Section 377.
India has a huge population, and houses several people who identify as homosexuals. But unlike earlier, they are now free from such restrictions. However, society still neglects those who happily admit to homosexuality.
This year, we proudly celebrated pride month in June as it promotes equality, dignity and the much-required visibility of the LGBTQIA+ community. Two prominent female lawyers, Menaka Guruswamy and Arundhati Katju, were at the frontier and fought for the unconstitutionality of Section 377. They are two of the most influential women in the country and admitted being in a relationship. Their fight against the violation and neglect faced by the LGBTQIA+ community was successfully won and brought change for the better.
Being a homosexual is not a big deal, and is surely not a mental disorder. It is something we all should acknowledge and let them be. Loving someone and getting married to the person you love is not wrong.
These two lawyers are now making an attempt to legalise gay marriage, another great step by these two women. If having sex with a same-sex person is not illegal now, so why stop them from being married? Indian society still doesn’t accept it, and there are various individuals who are scared to do so.
It might sound unnatural or unacceptable to many, but if we can bring changes to our living style, clothes, food etc., why is it so difficult to accept change in whom we choose to marry? This unaccepting behaviour of ours will only make this difficult for everyone. Many individuals die by suicide, as they are unable to deal with the stigma and discrimination attached to their gender, sex or sexuality.
Our thoughts should be changed with our modern ways of living, we must accept the human rights of the LGBTQIA+ community and respect them for their choices.