K Parthasarathi writes on the gay movement in India; This post comes in light of the ongoing litigation challenging the constitutionality of Section 377  of the IPC (anti- sodomy) in the Delhi High Court.

In our country too leading and famous Indian writers, artists, lawyers and academics are lending support to the cause of gays. It appears they are urging the Indian government to change the existing law that criminalizes homosexuality by scrapping Section 377 of Indian Penal code that can put the gays in prison up to 10 years. They have deplored this section “as an attack on human rights and fundamental freedoms” calling it as a relic of the past colonial era and demanded it to be struck down.

Whatever is the legal position, homosexuality is a fact that cannot be wished away and large numbers of same sex couples do live together in India too without any inhibition. The road to a total acceptance of same sex relationship and marriage of gays and lesbians as equal to heterogeneous unions in the eyes of law and legislatures is not without its hurdles. More so in a country like India steeped in ancient culture and conservative outlook. Such relationships between two consenting adults are untested social experiments and have the potential of damaging the very social fabric of society.