GAYS : legalized ..yes ! but accepted ? NO !

Recognition and acceptance are two different words
Oh yes ...the big step has finally been taken . LGBTs are finally recognized citizens of India ( not criminals ) , with full liberty to exercise their choices and sexuallity . Heart felt congratulations from my side . But , this is just a first step .... a LOT more needs to be done . Infact , the war has just begun . The High Court has just saved LGBTs from prosecution and harassment from the police . But this country is not just about "police" or "laws" . India is about cultures , people , beliefs and traditions . Just because somehting has been declared legal does not mean that it will be "accepted" . And as far as acceptance is concerned ...homosexuallity has a long way to go .
Tell an indian , "that guy is a gay" . And the first image that will pop in his mind is of an ugly eunch wearing a shing saree , clapping his hands and begging for money at a wedding . Leaving out a small percentage of "urban class" people ...that is the reaction you will get from majority of the crowd . Most people are hesitant when it comes to discussing the subject ...they find it too ......bizarre ( for want of a better term ) . A few sneer at it , abusing and critisizing homosexuals as freaks of nature . Others find it a very comic subject . Gays are the "soft target" when it comes to jokes . just because they dress differently ( which is just an assumption ) , act a little feminine ( again ....not neccesarily applicable to all ) and are soft and polite ....they become the natural target . Oh did we miss the main point .... they love men ! Oh my God ....what more could you ask for ?
Then again comes the "cultural" aspect . Hail India ! This is not our culture . Fine , I agree . Could you please tell me , where does this culture go when Children leave their aged parents in old-age homes ? Where does this culture go when temples and masjids are destroyed in the name of religion ? When foreign tourists are raped and molested ? When wives are burnt for dowry ?When women are declared witches and paraded naked in villages ? When parents sell their daughters for money ? When infant girls are killed in the womb ?When kids as young as 14 and 15 start smoking ? Drinking ? And I ask you .....who decides what IS our culture actually ? Homosexualltiy is NOT A VIRUS that has been transmitted from foreign countries . It has existed for centuries and will continue to exist .It is not a part of our society because it has been suppressed for ages . Because it has been labeled as a "crime" , a "curse" , a kind of contaminating disease . These people have not come out for ages because they were afraid of ridicule ...of embarassement and social stigma . Read ur ancient texts and people will come to know as to what is our culture and what is not ?
But the basic question remains .......WHY this discrimination ? What have these people done to invite such disgust ? They love people of their own sex....anything else ? Just because hetrosexuallity is MORE COMMON...does not means it's normal . Do they go and rape people ? Do they go and create riots ? Do they pass anti-religious slogans ? Do they divide the country into pieces ? Ask for a separate land ?
Form a terrorist group ? The answer is NO ! They live peacefully ....and most of them are gentle , sensitive , loving poeple . That in turn makes them a prime target for most of the peole to vent out their frustation .
A small plea from my side .....let them live . See them as your equal. Don't pity them or tolerate them . Accept them as a normal person with sexual feelings different from yours . He or she might be your hairdresser , your dress designer , your best friend , your employee or heck ! your own child . Look upon them as gifted and talented people sent by God to make this world a more beautiful place . They have had enough of public harassment , enough of merciless teasing and sarcasm , enough of crying on their pillows , enough of feeling ashamed of themselves . Give them the "acceptance" ....and the courage to come out and be themselves . God created them this way , and He never does things without a reason ..... isn't it ?