Gay Rights and Initiatives Online

For years, being gay was not accepted easily in most countries. Worse, gays have always been subjected to violence, social discrimination and considerable contempt. In India, gay rights have gained tremendous support despite the country’s strong patriarchal set-up and social pressures. Though within the gay community, there is much freedom, there is huge pressure to marry for the sake of respectability in society. It is a different story altogether that such make-believe marriages end up in family courts, sooner or later, as the couples realize that they cannot relate to each other physically or emotionally.

Gay Rights: Mumbai’s Gay Community is Emerging Strong

Mumbai is a city that is known for supporting the country’s growing gay community and their legal right to be treated as equals in society. The Humsafar Trust is a Mumbai based ‘queer’ NGO. It is the first organization to take up the cause of gay rights online. The trust is carrying forth with highly successful initiatives such as health programs that feature HIV intervention with clinics, seminars, community centre, workshops and cultural activities. It provides a safe space for gay men to interact and discuss their problems. Another Mumbai based activist group called the Lesbians and Bisexuals in Action (LABIA), has also launched their website, labiacollective.org in 1995. Discussions pertaining to gay rights campaigns, workshops and conferences are held on this site.

Gay Rights: Indian Gay Community on the Internet

Following the Delhi High Court’s ruling on legalizing homosexuality, there has been considerable visibility about issues and events pertaining to gay rights. A significant number of websites are cropping up to show support to the legal rights of gays in the society.

Another online magazine supporting gay rights is ‘Jiah: For Women with Heart.’ According to its editor, Apphia K, the magazine intends to approach the NRIs and make them aware about the gay community in India.

Another site that is exclusively for those who want to buy books on the gay community is called ‘www.queerink.com.’ It gives people, who are apprehensive to go to an actual book store for queer books, easy access to search and purchase these books through the Internet. However, these initiatives will not wipe out the social stigma that gays face in the Indian society.

Whether Hindu, Christian or Muslim, it is clear that most Indian families will continue to condemn gay rights and even resist the concept itself. In many families, the word ‘sex’ and ‘sexuality’ are still dirty because families are not so accepting when it comes to opening up about these issues and they prefer to sweep it away somewhere under the carpet. There is a long way to go before gay rights can be implemented successfully in the Indian society.