Gay = Happy

I have been exposed to the gay rights movement, thanks to living here in the US. I have seen the highs and lows of this community (more on this later). From the time Clinton took office, promising to treat them as equals, giving hope and a sense of pride to people who profess love to the same gender, and then being let down with the minimal changes introduced, which dashed their hopes and did nothing to their pride. To now, when Obama has taken office speaking a similar or more evocative language of equality in the eyes of law. The people who profess to be gay (i use this term loosely to include gays, lesbians and others), are today enjoying a slightly better class of life, than they have about two decades ago. But that is only in America, and a few western countries. In the rest of the world, they are still criminalized, prosecuted and punished for behaviour, which according to them is as natural a mother loving a child.

The recent ruling by a Delhi High Court, in India, is significant, but still a small step. The historic significance cannot be underplayed, if the Supreme Court follows-up and rules that the this Delhi High Court, currently applicable only in the state of Delhi, will be applied across the country. The court has not granted any special status to the gay people. But only ruled that they should not be persecuted, if the sex in consensual between adults, no matter, how unnatural they may appear to be. This and many other laws in the Indian Penal Code, borrowed from the British, as part of their gift during independence must be removed and or cleansed. But that’s is a different matter, for a different day.

It is unfortunate that even today, we chose to divide people by religion, color, race and their sexual preferences. I have come across several references to the word ‘community’, when trying to club them together. While they can be associated together by the definition of gay, there is no creed or code, but one, that they live by, which is different from the rest of humanity. This singular difference is their choice of life partner, appears to be from the same gender. Save this, they enjoy and suffer from all other pleasures and tribulations that afflict the rest of us. It is mere hypocrisy that some people would behave like them in private but then be upright and straight in the public.

The law must be equally applied to all, irrespective of individual preferences. Their act is neither immoral or unlawful, and deemed so, only because at one time it was considered inappropriate. But the fact is this lifestyle was practiced then as it is now. Their percentage or following has not increased, because of a change in law or outlook. The equality before law, will allow them to profess this in the open, giving it an appearance that numbers are increasing or have increased suddenly. This lifestyle is dictated more by biology than by another science we know off.