India, the world’s largest democracy decriminalised consensual gay sex as late as September 2018. And while many hailed this decision of the Supreme Court as being in line with modern western principles of social liberalism, India’s mythology shows us that acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community is entrenched in Indian culture and religion.
For starters, Hindu philosophy recognises a third gender apart from the traditional male and female. Called tritiya prakriti (literally meaning “third nature”), this group consists of all gender non conforming individuals- “effeminate men”, “masculine women”, intersex people, transsexuals, transgender people etc. Not only that, people belonging to the tritiya prakriti are given a semi-divine status and their presence as cross dress dancers and devotees in ritualistic Hindu ceremonies is considered auspicious. In this context, the Rig Veda, an ancient Hindu collection of Sanskrit hymns notes “what might appear unnatural is often natural”.
Another interesting text is that of the Kama Sutra, written by philosopher Vatsyaya in the third century. In this compilation of pieces, he describes the various sexual practices of heterosexual and homosexual individuals of the time. Even more surprisingly, pictorial descriptions of the same were carved into temple walls at Khajuraho in Central India in the eleventh century! The Kama Sutra also mentions women that are “strong, independent and do not desire husbands”, in what many believe is a reference to lesbian women.
Meanwhile the Sushruta Samhita¸ which was a highly respected medical text back then, acknowledges the presence of homosexual men, while even recognising differences within their sexual preferences. It further goes on to say that an individual’s sexual orientation is determined at the time of their conception in the womb.
I could go on and on writing about the roles of the LGBTQ+ community in Hindu scriptures and texts. However, the purpose of presenting a few of these cases is to demonstrate the fact that India has traditionally never been a homophobic society. Why then did it take so long for it to repeal a colonial era law forbidding “unnatural sex”? Why then do Indians still consider homosexuality to be a western import that is somehow against their traditional values?
The answer to that probably lies in people adapting their religious and cultural beliefs to suit their personal opinions. And such is the scenario in most parts of the world, with religion often being invoked to justify homophobia. The very same religions however, also teach us to move on with time, love each other unconditionally and have our own consciousness. Being part of the LGBTQ+ community thus does not mean god hates you, as is often wondered by sexual minority individuals with a religious upbringing. At the end of the day, the world has problems that are far greater than boys who kiss boys and girls who kiss girls. Thus, giving individuals the freedom to love and marry whoever they want, regardless of their gender is central to the idea of equality and further strengthens the inclusive nature of democracies.