In 2018, India’s Supreme Court had ruled that gay sex was no longer a criminal offence, overturning a 2013 judgement that upheld a colonial-era law, known as section 377, under which gay sex is categorised as an “unnatural offence”.

The court order said that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a fundamental violation of rights. Yet, even in 2021 the LGBT community is facing discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. This, they say, forces them to hide their “real life”.

What has added to their misery is the steps taken by the larger society to ‘cure’ them. Corrective rape is one such bitter reality. The term was first coined in South Africa in early 2000. In many countries, including in India, parents are going for corrective rapes in an attempt to ‘cure’ their homosexual children.

According to statistics with the crisis intervention team of LGBT Collective in Telangana, there have been 15 instances of ‘corrective rapes’ in the last five years in the state, according to a report in Times of India.

Dr Shabiullah Syyed, the Consultant Psychiatrist at Madhukar Rainbow Children’s Hospital, New Delhi, spoke about one such case where a young boy was forced by his family to have sex with a prostitute as part of ‘corrective’ measure.

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“I remember a patient who came to meet me in the OPD once. He was a 26-year-old who was accompanied or rather forced by his parents to see me… Once I started talking to him, it was quite clear that he was showing some symptoms of depression, anxiety. After taking a detailed history and pulling out more data, it was revealed, and even parents confided, that they were really upset about his sexual orientation and the fact that he was a gay. The parents said that they were really trying to get him married and even start his life with a partner from the opposite sex.”

“But somehow he was really sure of his orientation.. and that he wanted to marry a guy,” Dr Syyed told Opoyi, adding that the man’s “parents after the insistence of some of the relatives and friends went for a kind of treatment which is called subversion therapy and a term which is called corrective rape.”

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The family, the doctor said, also tried to torture and did some physical violence on him.

“They then forced him for corrective rape and called some prostitute over to their place for several days and they paid her. The only reason for that was to gain some kind of sexual orientation towards other sex by having some kind of intercourse with the lady so this was quite shocking for me too,” he told Opoyi.

“We need to change our attitudes,” he said adding that “the parents often blame themselves and feel guilty especially the mother who usually blames herself thinking that something happened during pregnancy that a child turned out this way so we need to change our attitude.”

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What’s important for parents is to catch “the next generation before they develop anti-LGTB attitude,” he said. “Homosexuality is not a disease, therefore needs no cure.” Period.

For accessory designer and LGBTQ activist Akaash Agrawaal, “corrective rapes” are used by homophobic parents and homophobic doctors, therapists against homosexual people.

“…It’s not just prostitutes used for the gay individual, women who love women and want to have sex with women, what happens with them is equally shameful. Many of these girls who are lesbians are also forced or if the right word is raped by their family members, by their own uncles, cousins, or family friends. The parents say that because you have not experienced having sex with men that is why you have no intentions towards it that’s why they want them to explore it.”

Slamming the “very systematic system of abuse”, Agrawaal said, corrective rapes are actually a very perfect term for this very imperfect world.

So what is the way out?

“We as a civil society and people from the queer community have to come out and talk about this stigmatise, taboos, and more,” Agrawaal said.

Dr. Anjali Saxena, Senior Consultant, General Pediatrics at Madhukar Rainbow Children Hospital, New Delhi, said that “Parents should be aware and sensitive about homosexuality as all Children need love and support of their families.”

Doctor Syyed says that it’s important to have some kind of kindness and respect towards LGBTQ community.