Barely hours after city celebrated the second anniversary of decriminalisation of homosexuality, health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad’s comment calling men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) a disease, has sparked outrage among the gay community. Even as the minister clarifies that he was “misquoted”, the community is fuming over his comments.
“I don’t think people should pay any attention to the health minister. You can’t call same-sex ties unnatural. It’s unfortunate that such a comment was made just after the celebrations. We want the law to see us as equals and not call us diseased,” says Mohnish Kabir Malhotra, an LGBT activist.
Ankur, who supports gay rights says the minister’s comment shows lack of acceptance of homosexuals in our society. “His comment clearly shows how the government despite having changed the rules still has not accepted homosexuality wholeheartedly. The mindsets have to change.”
Many feel that the movement that has gathered much public support in the last two years could be negatively affected by the comment. “When a person as educated as Azad calls homosexuality a disease, there are definitely many who would believe him. We have come a long way but a statement like this will definitely harm the movement in some ways,” says Dipankar, a supporter of gay rights.
This however has not deterred the spirits of the activists who are waiting for Supreme Court to uphold high court’s 2009 decision. Social activist Pramada Menon sees the movement growing in the coming years. “Many groups are doing the best they can for the LGBT community. We are just waiting for a positive verdict from the Supreme Court. There will be a multiplicity of demands once the verdict is out,” says Menon.