Homosexuality in India can be linked to historical times. Homosexuality has been a continuing phenomenon from ancient times to modern times. Our religious and Hindu texts are filled with it. They have a lot of information regarding homosexual characters and themes based on it. Rigveda recognizes the homosexual side of human life. The ancient Kamasutra dedicates a complete chapter on homosexual behavior in males. Historical evidence is present in plenty, which indicates that homosexuality has been a part of our culture in Indian society. Homosexuals were not considered inferior till about the 18th century of British colonial rule. A 5-judge constitutional bench of the Supreme Court of India has now decriminalized a part of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, hence making homosexuality legal in India. The colonial-era law that made gay sex punishable by up to 10 years in prison, has paved the way for a better future. But why do our Indian culture still is not ready to accept homosexuality in our society?
Homophobia is so much prevalent in India that public discussion of homosexuality in India has been inhibited. Generally, sexuality in any form is rarely discussed openly in our society. It has mostly to do with the importance we give to our cultural standards and moral code of conduct. Although much progress has been made, we still are not ready to accept it because we have not made our people sensitive about it. We need an education setup where we teach about these sensitive topics as early as possible. We can stop the cruel practice of gender therapy only when we will make our society more sensitive about it. However, the attitudes towards homosexuality have gained a slight shift. There have been more portraying and discussions of homosexuality in the Indian media.
What we need right now is to spread as much information about this issue as possible, in order to make our society more gender-sensitive.