I was at a stage in my life when the awareness about
different sexual orientations was yet to evolve fully, though
I knew being gay was not an aberration nor illness but as
natural as being straight. Making such relationships illegal
or criminal was the result of our religious indoctrination
and social orthodoxy and had nothing to do with ethics,
science and psychology.
Seetha showed me Shakuntala Devi's latest book "The
World of Homosexuals", which she had recently bought,
and said, "It is the first Indian instance of a serious look at
our kind of sexual orientation, which is unfortunately
criminalised and punishable in our country. More than the
silly legal position, what makes it difficult for us is the
shame and social stigma that people associate with it.
Shakuntala Devi makes a plea for a more rational
understanding of homosexuality and complete acceptance,
not tolerance and sympathy."
Kanaka gave me another perspective, "It's not just a
question of my sexual attraction towards another woman.
As feminists we find our patriarchal society stifling, and
marriages within it are just an extension of the sexism and
male chauvinism found in patriarchy. We don't want to be
the traditional wife and daughter-in-law with conventional
gender roles. You were talking about the social message
Bimal Roy wanted to spread through Sujata. I would say the
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