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In the shadows of India’s cities, a pervasive crisis of violence continues to plague gay and bisexual men, revealing deep-rooted prejudice that persists despite legal progress.
In bustling metropolitan centres throughout India, a disturbing narrative of violence against gay and bisexual men is unfolding, challenging the nation’s progressive legal stance on LGBTQIA+ rights and exposing deep-rooted prejudice that continues to threaten the community’s safety and wellbeing.
A ground-breaking new study published in BMC Public Health has drawn attention to the reality of this – that gay and bisexual men are facing systemic discrimination, violence, and marginalisation.
The research, conducted by a collaborative team of academics from prestigious institutions including Indraprastha College for Women, Delhi School of Economics, International Institute for Population Sciences, and Jawaharlal Nehru University, provides a comprehensive and quantitative examination of the violence experienced by men who have sex with men (MSM) across six major Indian cities.
The findings are both shocking and heartbreaking.
Despite the Supreme Court’s landmark 2018 decision to decriminalise homosexuality, the study indicates that legal protection has failed to translate into social acceptance and personal safety.
@barbicancentre 📸 Exiles is a series of images captured by Sunil Gupta to present the complexities faced by gay men at the time. 🎞️ These photographs were staged. The men involved agreed to be featured on the promise that they wouldn’t be shown in India. Homosexuality was only decriminalised in India in 2018. Throughout the 1980s, artists challenged social spaces across Indian cities, asking if there was a home for marginal groups in these new metropoles. The accompanying text poignantly shares the lived experience of the time, providing insight into their reality. See these images on show at The Imaginary Institution of India, open now in our Art Gallery 🎟️ #barbican #barbicancentre #artgallery ♬ original sound – Barbican Centre
On average, six out of ten men reported experiencing some form of violence directly linked to their sexual orientation. Young men, particularly those aged between 18 and 24, emerged as the most vulnerable demographic. An alarming 81% of this cohort said they had experienced violence.
The research meticulously unpacks the nuanced layers of violence, categorising it verbally, physically, and sexually, with each form presenting its own traumatic consequences.
Geographical variations in violence patterns add further complexity to the research. Kolkata stands out as a particularly hostile environment, with 80% of those surveyed reporting some form of violence. In contrast, Ahmedabad showed a lower rate of 50%, though this still represents a staggering level of harassment and abuse.
Beyond the statistics are the stories that these findings additionally platform.
