A fresh look at homosexuality.

Sir,

The recent Supreme Court Judgment criminalizing homosexuality, overruling the 2009 Judgment of the High Court, has been a shock to everyone. It has emotionally disturbed those with homosexual orientation and their families. Recently, two articles were published in IJP on homosexuality.[12] I am writing in response to the above, to have a fresh look on homosexuality.

The official position of the medical and psychiatric classificatory systems on homosexuality is that it is a normal variant in the psychosexual development. This is a positive approach in the understanding of homosexuality. In the past, it was associated with sin and crime and hence those people with homosexual orientation were ostracized in society. With this new approach, they will have a healthy space in society.

While welcoming and agreeing with a positive perception of homosexuality, it is difficult to accept the position that homosexuality is a normal psychosexual development. A normal variant cannot be considered completely normal. It is, in fact, an aberration in the psychosexual development, caused by genetic and psychosocial factors for which the person is not responsible. There are research findings, which suggest that there are structural differences in the brains of people with homosexual orientation.

Homosexuality is not normal statistically and biologically. Statistically, it is not normal since it forms a minority and skewed in the normal distribution. Every biological function has a physiological goal and purpose. Sexual activity has two goals. One is procreation to safeguard the continuation of the species. The second one is the experience of pleasure, which in fact, is to facilitate the sexual activity and to strengthen the bond between husband and wife. Homosexuality negates one of the goals of sexual activity procreation.

Homosexuality has therefore, to be considered as an aberration in the psychosexual development caused by genetic and psychosocial factors. Those with homosexual orientation are not responsible for this aberration. It is not a sin to be discriminated against. It is not a crime to be punished. It is not a psychiatric disorder needing treatment although those with homosexual orientation can often develop anxiety and depression needing treatment, if they are ostracized in society. Since homosexuality is neither a sin nor a crime, the freedom of those with a homosexual orientation to live a happy life should not be interfered with.

While society accepts homosexuality positively, those with homosexual orientation must also accept their psychosexual status gracefully and get on with life. As a probable reaction to society's prejudice and discrimination, there seems to be a tendency for them to aggressively claim normality of their sexual orientation. They also seem to claim too much on personal freedom and rights. Personal freedom and rights are always limited to some extent, as long as we live in a social group. There are different aspects of homosexual behavior which can come into conflict with social expectations, religious beliefs and ideas of morality. People with homosexual orientation must consider all these and should be prepared for compromises. The Alcohol Anonymous prayer should be of help: “God, give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.”

As citizens of India, we should organize public opinion and take all legal steps to see that this criminalization of homosexuality is done away with.