And these are random stuffs which we see in everyday newspaper and ignore. Yesssss! Because it’s not area of our concern. Heterosexual being enjoys all the freedom by virtue of their sexual orientation in the society. A society which has always made norms for its better functioning by sidelining the individuality of living being. Don’t get me wrong here…sidelining doesn’t mean society is not bother about what you do in your personal sphere…rather your personal sphere should also be guided by societal norms for you to be an social person. This is the extent of social recognition in our society.
Let’s make it simple…imagine you are at a college/school reunion and you met a friend (well to do now and in better position than you) whom you haven’t been touch after school/ college. You see him/her and pass a smile. But he/she act like he doesn’t recognise you or ignores you knowing that you both were good friends once upon a time. How will you feel ????
May be it won’t bother you that much after sometime or you may act that way. You may even forget he/she refused to recognise you after few days but for that moment you will definitely feel disheartened. “That moment” is somthing which is very frequent in LGBQTIA+ community.
Excerpt from Supreme Court of India judgment of decriminalising section 377 of IPC
“Human beings are entitled to the full enjoyment of all human rights, regardless of sexual orientation and/or gender identity. State of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being in relation to sexuality; it is not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction or infirmity. Sexual health requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination
and violence. For sexual health to be attained and maintained, the sexual rights of all persons must be respected, protected and fulfilled.”
Cultural homophobia discourages social behavior that appears to threaten the stability of heterosexual gender roles.These dual normative standards of social and sexual behavior construct the image of a gay man as abnormal because he deviates from the masculine gender role by subjecting himself in the sexual act to another man.
Discrimination against gays and lesbians reinforces traditional sex roles. The primary thrust of such discrimination is the gender-based stigmatization of gays and lesbians, deriving from the idea that homosexuality departs from traditional gender roles and that “real” men and women should not be attracted to a member of the same sex. This portrayal relies heavily on what Bennett Capers calls the
“binary gender system”.
Homosexual or heterosexual, we all are living being, and by virtue of it we have got Right to life. Right to life encompasses right to live with dignity& right to privacy. Sexual orientation is very private thing of an individual just like having our own type of connection with God without state or societal interference. We also have right to be recognised with our unique individuality in society.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) “wellbeing is fundamental to quality of life, enabling people to experience life as meaningful and to be creative and active citizens”
The moral quality of social relations cannot be measured only in terms of the fair and just distribution of material goods, rather, our notion of justice is also linked very closely to how, and as what, subjects mutually recognise each other.
Any change in law in terms of recognising same sex relations or understanding self identification of gender must be complemented by an attitudinal change in society at large.
innermostbeing 