By - Subah Bhatia and Smitii Nayak
An everyday love entangled in
too superficial a restraint.
Held back while centuries flew past,
Crouched behind closed doors and
Forced under the shadows,
of 1861.
An estranged love shrouded by
Raised eyebrows and contorted frowns.
Both called out in disgust,
And whispered about in orthodox fear.
The legality of a lover’s delight denied,
In fear of wronging an illicit culture.
A forbidden love no more,
With closed doors flung open,
Shadows dispersed, disgust dissolved and veils raised,
With whispers forming a united shout,
The rainbow emerges from behind the clouds,
Here to stay, to shine and to love.
__________________________________________________________________________________
6th of September, 2018.
An iconic day.
Years after she gained independence and established her own constitution, India took a leap that re-established her citizens’ faith in unity in diversity. Today, as India rejoices her descent onto the path of acceptance, diversity has expanded to celebrate not only race, caste, and religion but also sexuality and gender. Oppression has been defeated, as love emerged victorious. A 158 year old archaic colonial law under the Section 377 of the IPC has finally been scrapped, bringing an end to an 18 year old battle fought by the LGBTQ+ community against the law that categorized gay sex as an ‘unnatural offence’. With basic rights of her citizens withheld for 18 years too long, India embraces the decision of the Supreme Court with pride.
The controversial law belonged to a homophobic age where LGBTQ+ people were met with disgust and shamed for what is a personal choice. Irrationally denied the right to love and be loved, no respect has been shown for the individual choice of a human being. Blinded by their own opinion of the ‘right’ and ‘wrong’, people chose to shut their eyes and cover their ears in response to the continuous pleas for freedom, equality, and dignity.
Centuries of desperate struggle have finally terminated and celebrations have ensued as India takes a vital step into the world of acceptance and love, where the sexual preferences of a person will not alter the course of his or her life for the worse. While the homophobic mentality that has been inherited by many demands more work and time to get rid of, India has ensured that the people of the LGBTQ+ community are no longer deemed criminals, by this scraping of Section 377.
To be marked in history as the day that acceptance gained a new face, this date witnessed the Supreme Court of India legalize consensual gay sex – A bold step towards relinquishing an intolerant history and granting the right to love freely, to the LGBTQ+ citizens of India. Members of this ostracised community are simply ecstatic on this historic day, which marks the onset of the fast approaching acceptance of LGBTQ+ people. Scorned all their lives, their joy is inexpressible as they see their vision of an India where they will be able to express their love and celebrate their sexuality, come to life. Today, India has learnt an important lesson that love, of all forms and types, has always and will always win.