In 2000, a young homosexual man of around 21 years of age was given electric shocks as part of so-called conversion treatment that his parents hoped he would turn into a heterosexual with the support of the medical profession.This inhumane act occurred in the prestigious All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi almost two decades after most medical and psychology institutes had concluded that homosexuality was not a mental disorder but merely a sexual inclination.
An NGO called the Naz Foundation stepped in to protect the man and took the matter up with the National Human Rights Commission. However, the commission said it saw nothing wrong with the treatment that the doctors gave to the young gay man. With these doors shut, the NGO moved the Delhi High Court against Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalises gay sex.
Fifteen years later, the situation has hardly changed. The same NGO is yet again battling the reality of cruel doctors and the deep-seated hate that some sections of society carry against Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgenders. On Monday, the Naz Foundation sent a a letter to Dr Jayshree Ben Mehta, the President of the Medical Council of India, seeking the revocation of licenses of doctors claiming to be able to treat homosexuality. In the letter, Anjali Gopalan, the Executive Director of Naz Foundation, quotes from the Pan American Health Organisation stating that “sexual orientation change efforts lack medical justification and represent a serious threat to the health and well-being of affected people.”.
Range of treatments
The action by Naz Foundation follows an expose by a media house that showed several doctors in New Delhi peddling alleged cures for homosexuality, pandering to the assumption that it is a disease. They offered, as captured on camera, treatments ranging from hormone therapy to shock treatment, both of which can have terrifying side effects. One of the many medical practitioners featured in the report was Dr Vinod Raina, who worked at AIIMS in the late 1990s. He claimed that over a thousand gay people had received his treatment.
The expose led to a panel discussion on India Today TV, in which I participated. Also on the panel were Gopalan, Dr Rajiv Malik of the Medical Council of India and Dr Raina. While Dr Malik underlined the fact that homosexuality was not a disease or a mental disorder, Dr Raina suggested there was no guidelines and at no time did he think we was peddling any kind of falsehood. In fact, his repeated statement that homosexuality is a sexual deviation indicated that his studies as a doctor had not made him any better than some parents who wanted to cure their LGBT children.
The TV debate concluded with Dr Malik implying that the licenses of such doctors should be cancelled. Insisting on such action, Gopalan went a step further to suggest that medical courses should include focused content on the LGBT community so that there is greater understanding and sensitivity towards them.
Compromised beliefs
Done with the doctors, the next programme opened ones eyes to another shocker. J Dutta, a professor at Lady Irwin College, went on record stating homosexuality was a mental disorder. She never let up even for a moment on her theory and assumptions. The fact that she was a teacher at a prestigious college worries many human rights activists and LGBTs. How can one achieve basic human rights and acceptance in a nation where two critical professions have been compromised by absurdities such as this?
It's clear that some of their insanity stems from Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. If this law were to be repealed, it would give a chance to more gay individuals to come out and let others understand that they are pretty normal, after all.
For now, though, seeing this law out is a bit of a dream. There are fears that the current government will not be supportive of a change to Section 377. While it has been largely silent, the only statement was from the former health minister, Harsh Vardhan, who said his government would protect gays. But months later, another member of the Bharatiya Janata Party who is a minister in the Goa government said he would put up LGBT treatment centres, sounding no different than the doctors who were featured in the media expose.
India's challenges
Sadly, this is modern India. This is an India that aims to be corruption free, focused on new infrastructure, where wisdom and spirituality will guide and development for all will be at the core of all the steps the nation takes. This is what our government has said, time and again. But can this actually happen if the mind itself is shackled? Can one build a society that is positive when parents are unable to accept their children as homosexual and just love them for who they are? How can a society live happily if gay men or women are forced into marriages with heterosexuals? And how one believe the future is truly bright when the institutes of psychology and medicine nurture and sustain the idea that homosexuality is a disease or a mental disorder?
At this point, it is essential for the Medical Council of India to take action and revoke the licenses of the errant doctors. It will further be significant if they continue an investigation across not just Delhi but other cities and towns in India. It must protect the value of medicine and restore the faith of the LGBT community and others who know whats right. The MCI needs to stop any kind of exploitation of fears that a homosexual may have or what families may seek.
At the same time, as suggested by Gopalan, understanding of sexual minorities is critical for aspiring doctors and should be part of their learning. This form of education needs to be extended to the teaching profession too. Such efforts may not yield fruits immediately but will surely slowly assist the movement for human rights as it continues to evolve in a battle that has been riddled with the mines of untruth.
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An NGO called the Naz Foundation stepped in to protect the man and took the matter up with the National Human Rights Commission. However, the commission said it saw nothing wrong with the treatment that the doctors gave to the young gay man. With these doors shut, the NGO moved the Delhi High Court against Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalises gay sex.
Fifteen years later, the situation has hardly changed. The same NGO is yet again battling the reality of cruel doctors and the deep-seated hate that some sections of society carry against Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgenders. On Monday, the Naz Foundation sent a a letter to Dr Jayshree Ben Mehta, the President of the Medical Council of India, seeking the revocation of licenses of doctors claiming to be able to treat homosexuality. In the letter, Anjali Gopalan, the Executive Director of Naz Foundation, quotes from the Pan American Health Organisation stating that “sexual orientation change efforts lack medical justification and represent a serious threat to the health and well-being of affected people.”.
Range of treatments
The action by Naz Foundation follows an expose by a media house that showed several doctors in New Delhi peddling alleged cures for homosexuality, pandering to the assumption that it is a disease. They offered, as captured on camera, treatments ranging from hormone therapy to shock treatment, both of which can have terrifying side effects. One of the many medical practitioners featured in the report was Dr Vinod Raina, who worked at AIIMS in the late 1990s. He claimed that over a thousand gay people had received his treatment.
The expose led to a panel discussion on India Today TV, in which I participated. Also on the panel were Gopalan, Dr Rajiv Malik of the Medical Council of India and Dr Raina. While Dr Malik underlined the fact that homosexuality was not a disease or a mental disorder, Dr Raina suggested there was no guidelines and at no time did he think we was peddling any kind of falsehood. In fact, his repeated statement that homosexuality is a sexual deviation indicated that his studies as a doctor had not made him any better than some parents who wanted to cure their LGBT children.
The TV debate concluded with Dr Malik implying that the licenses of such doctors should be cancelled. Insisting on such action, Gopalan went a step further to suggest that medical courses should include focused content on the LGBT community so that there is greater understanding and sensitivity towards them.
Compromised beliefs
Done with the doctors, the next programme opened ones eyes to another shocker. J Dutta, a professor at Lady Irwin College, went on record stating homosexuality was a mental disorder. She never let up even for a moment on her theory and assumptions. The fact that she was a teacher at a prestigious college worries many human rights activists and LGBTs. How can one achieve basic human rights and acceptance in a nation where two critical professions have been compromised by absurdities such as this?
It's clear that some of their insanity stems from Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. If this law were to be repealed, it would give a chance to more gay individuals to come out and let others understand that they are pretty normal, after all.
For now, though, seeing this law out is a bit of a dream. There are fears that the current government will not be supportive of a change to Section 377. While it has been largely silent, the only statement was from the former health minister, Harsh Vardhan, who said his government would protect gays. But months later, another member of the Bharatiya Janata Party who is a minister in the Goa government said he would put up LGBT treatment centres, sounding no different than the doctors who were featured in the media expose.
India's challenges
Sadly, this is modern India. This is an India that aims to be corruption free, focused on new infrastructure, where wisdom and spirituality will guide and development for all will be at the core of all the steps the nation takes. This is what our government has said, time and again. But can this actually happen if the mind itself is shackled? Can one build a society that is positive when parents are unable to accept their children as homosexual and just love them for who they are? How can a society live happily if gay men or women are forced into marriages with heterosexuals? And how one believe the future is truly bright when the institutes of psychology and medicine nurture and sustain the idea that homosexuality is a disease or a mental disorder?
At this point, it is essential for the Medical Council of India to take action and revoke the licenses of the errant doctors. It will further be significant if they continue an investigation across not just Delhi but other cities and towns in India. It must protect the value of medicine and restore the faith of the LGBT community and others who know whats right. The MCI needs to stop any kind of exploitation of fears that a homosexual may have or what families may seek.
At the same time, as suggested by Gopalan, understanding of sexual minorities is critical for aspiring doctors and should be part of their learning. This form of education needs to be extended to the teaching profession too. Such efforts may not yield fruits immediately but will surely slowly assist the movement for human rights as it continues to evolve in a battle that has been riddled with the mines of untruth.