Monday, December 16, 2013

Oh Lord I Have Sinned for I'm "Gay"



In the USA, there was this highly polarised trial which was called, "The Monkey Trial’. A widely acclaimed film, ‘Inherit the Wind” was made on the subject. Well that happened in the twenties of the last century, at a time when Public or government funded schools were prohibited from teaching or discussing the Darwinian theory of natural selection and evolution. Americans, those days preferred to fantasise in the creation of the World sometime in 6457 BC by a vengeful and omnipotent person called God. Looking back those were antediluvian times in the American psyche, (not that much has changed there in other matters).

However, back here in India, today, we have a Supreme Court that prefer to rule on matters that touch our daily lives in a insouciant manner and based on their beliefs and ideology rather than testing the subject on the fundamental principles of the constitution. The two judges who ruled that the Victorian era logic of the Article 377 is fine for them personally (sic) and need not be struck down. Strangely for a judicial school that is often accused by some of intemperate judicial activism in directing the executive on policy matters, this new found revelation that sexual relationship between consenting adults of the same sex, even in private violates the anachronistic  Article 377 is strange.. In toto, the supposedly learned Judges opined that one’s sexual orientation is not a personal matter and can be directed by the executive. Isn't this contention ridiculous and pathetic than the “Holy Inquisition” when dissent was termed heresy, when women were branded witches and burnt at the stake?

This reminds me of the time I was an adolescent and a teenager, when I  withstood homosexual advances- from strangers inside the cinemas, and even a couple of  friends.. Personally it was nauseating and repulsive to me and I evaded such solicitations. The fact is homosexual tendencies, at least transient ones do plague some during adolescence and teen.  Wonder if someone would deny this. In some cases they stay put  in the person and I have known some who were socially well placed,who have lured young chaps to satisfy their carnal needs and in some case may have even sodomised young boys. Well here it is a different matter than from consensual liaison between adults. It is a fact that there are heterosexuals who have gay flings outside their homes. There are marriages that fall apart like cards because one of the partners has homosexual orientation too.

I guess that homosexual orientation is a condition. Rather than being sophist it is necessary that such inclined people are either helped psychologically or let them be as they are with equal rights to privacy like any other.
The question of morality is a fallacy here. When copulation with multiple partners and virtual orgy is depicted in the explicit sculptures of the Chandala era in Kajuraho, when temples have artistic sculptures of high breasted goddesses baring their bosoms, when scriptures elsewhere promises catamites in Paradise if a believer kills an apostate , why this hypocrisy? 


Transgender and Transvestism as well as bisexual orientation is not a crime  like rape, sodomy, murder or robbery. The right wing Hindu groups who bray about the need to uphold Indian culture and that the reversal of Article 377 is against Indian ethos must look back at the puranas and folklore wherein we have number of instances of men and women with the so called unnatural sexual orientation. There has been no instance in those works that tells us that such people were hounded by the society. So we have to wonder if we are actually going forward or into an age which evens the puranas and scriptures cannot comprehend.
The Court certainly erred in their decision and by leaving it to the legislature to amend or maintain the statute as they chose; it abdicated its responsibility in safeguarding the right to privacy and of something as private as sexual predilections.

The BJP, who claim to be the custodians of Indian Culture, ethos and heritage have openly endorsed the anachronism of the Court. In their opinion homosexuality is against Indian culture. Then tear down the sculptures in Konark and Kajuraho. The Church is tactfully silent. Perhaps skeletons are too many in their closets that any overt comment may vitiate the matter for the clergy. Or the Church prefers to still endorse only the heterosexual relationships of man and woman (husband and wife) - as approved by God. All other forms are unnatural carnal acts - sinful , abominable and candidates for eternal damnation. As for the Muslim clergy and politicians they are understandably apprehensive and silent amidst the  hullabaloo the Judgment has created. The reason is not far away to seek.


The matter is not the question of erosion of morality, sin or the abysmal depths the society is going into. Homosexuality has been an orientation since ages. Anthropologists explain that even animals are oriented to homosexual behaviour. It is the specious puritanical views that is the problem and that which restrains from accepting something that has been, that is and that will be.

11 comments:

Ramakrishnan said...

The Apex Court's judgment has only proved the adage the law is an ass. an ass is a cross between and horse and a donkey and is considered to be stupid and sterile. This decision too is silly,stupid,& sterile & the judges who gave this decision ignorant,idiotic,impotent stubborn imbeciles.

KParthasarathi said...

What is done between two adults consensually and in private so long it hurts no one need not be made criminal.This is the trend world over and same sex relationship is gathering momentum.The apex court only interpreted the law.It is for Parliament to amend Sec 377 IPC.
To permit marriages in such cases and make them legal with all the rights that follow ,let the Parliament change the law suitably.

rudraprayaga said...

Your narration part I liked much.And with regard to court's decision my mind doesn't come ona way to the comments.Still it would have been better if it was left untouched.When there are two categories of beings(male & female), homo may not be that healthy,I suppose.

rudraprayaga said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
rudraprayaga said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
BK Chowla, said...

Without quoting either the zhurcharan or a political party,I would feel,adults must be left alone to decide their life decisions

Felicity Grace Terry said...

Sad that we live in such times that we as adults cannot make decisions for ourselves, that governments and others who obviously feel themselves more knowledgeable feel they have the right to legislate on what consenting adults may or may not do.

Rama Ananth said...

I wonder in what age are we living.
Accept it, legitimise it and move on.
The Church coming up with a lame excuse as 'procreation' is absurd, and the bJP coming up with 'not in our culture' too is pathetic.
Though we are supposed to be a free country, only our, gurus (so called Shankrachariya, Assaram and the gang) politicians, judges,(Ganguly) rich journalists are free to do as they want, and get away with it.

Unknown said...

This is an issue which cannot be decided by a third party. It is the mutual choice and understanding between two individuals.

Shilpa Garg said...

The court's judgement is totally regressive and ridiculous. What times are we living in!!

Happy Kitten said...

The court should have left matters where it stood. Guess it is vote seeking time after all!