Homophobia – When and Why?

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 "All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with my hands but with my heart.”  While loneliness drives individuals towards the terminal, there is one community which has always lived in segregation , the LGBT community . Often addressed as abnormal or unnatural, the community has always been condemned by the society to avow their true identity, forcing them to form secret societies and indulge in prostitution.

Prevailing delusions about Homosexuality gave birth to ‘homophobia’, which means indulging in extreme and irrational aversion to homosexuality . While Science has gained ground , the society is still stuck with the age old thinking , believing homosexuality is chosen and an amendable preference . Laxmi Narayan Tripathi , a controversial transgender believes that there is no particular age to realize that you are a transgender , you are born like that . Homosexuality is not a disease which can be diagnosed on the basis of symptoms, it is natural .

The organizers of Madrid Pride Week, gay pride parade, a celebration attracting an estimated 1.5 million people each year accused the city of strangling the event. When exactly did the term homophobia come into existence?  Even history refuses to answer this question.  When there is no specification of its provenance, what really defines homophobia? Talking about homosexuality, a list of words generate - Religion, society , AIDS , family , media , social prejudices , girlish tinge and abuse . The list contributing to the rampant homophobia in our country . A country where religion outduels every law and regulation , homophobia is bound to rise . While people appreciate and admire the erotic images carved on the walls of Hindu temples , they deter from appreciating the same in actual society . The grapevine surrounding AIDS is another factor contributing to homophobia . While Kama sutra was discovered in this country , talking about sex is still proscribed. Lack of sex education engenders fear in minds of children against homosexuals , often it encourages them to experiment , leading to more fear .

“People are sheep. TV is the shepherd.”  The society and the media go hand in hand , complimenting and supplementing each other . While current media fraternity is becoming sensible to the needs of the homosexual community , movies like pyaar kia toh darna kya , Aaryan did very little to uplift the status of homosexuals in society , rather they projected them as someone with girly tinge and characterless personality . An ongoing daily soap on a national channel , Life OK , showcases the ‘hijda’ community in a grey light . While the boldness of the channel yields appreciation , the concept of a hijda trying to kill a girl instills fear among the audience , especially the younger lot who lap up the media content without really questioning its significance lest their parents might raise question on their sensibility and culture .  

A country where politicians tweet about Homosexuality being a mental disorder , where it takes a Bobby darling so much pain and rebuke to prove her talent and  inspite of homosexuality being recognized as a third nature and fully accepted in the Vedic scriptures , it takes Indian Government 62 years (post independence ) to legalize  homosexuality , homophobia  is sure to find prominence in society . “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting “ , the battle for eradicating homophobia  is a long one and will continue until the tussle between the society and the nature comes to rest .