GUWAHATI: In a groundbreaking decision, the Supreme Court of India lifted the ban on gay sex on 6th September 2018. The decision has put to rest a long-term legal battle and has brought new hope for the LGBTQ community in the country.
A five-judge panel in the Supreme Court was unanimous in its decision to end the law commonly known as “Section 377” that prohibits “carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal” which is widely interpreted to refer to gay sex.
With the LGBTQ community celebrating the historic judgement, one can say, "Sex orientation is like religion; it’s good to have one, but dangerous to bring it out into the limelight."
Regardless of this historic judgement – what needs to be asked is if our people are actually responsible? Social media channels and chat forums are flooded with “inappropriate content” – photos and videos alike. Now whether you are straight or gay, this “content” has drawn a lot of attention and has spread like wildfire on the internet.
However, netizens are never what they portray to be. Our people have had a history of a mob-frenzy and unpredictable behaviour. While people on the internet have supported the 377 verdict, the situation on ground can be extremely dicey. There are still hate-mongers hiding in plain sight – people for whom the 377 verdict is too difficult to digest – something that would not go down their gullet.
Post the verdict, it is equally important to identify sensitive areas where violent behaviour has been reported against the LGBTQ community.
The internet is a trending world and only the popular opinion makes headlines; but is this an actual acceptance of the decision? It wouldn’t be surprising if we, in due time, start hearing cases emerge out of the northern belt of India about hate crime – with people now targeting the LGBTQ community. And why just the northern belt?
Our people in the northeast are equally capable of being hate mongers and frenzied, case in point, the Dokmoka lynching incident.
Rest assured, for the LGBTQ community, the battle against the court has been won, but it could just be the beginning of the battle against the society.
