The Madras High Court, in hard-hitting observations, slammed medical courses offered in India, saying they promoted queerphobia and discrimination against LGBTQIA+ communities. Calling for changes to medical curriculum, the court said the authorities had failed expectations in framing them

“The MCI failed expectations, currently, for undergraduate students studying …the medical curriculum describes ‘sodomy’, ‘lesbianism’ and oral sex as sexual offences, and ‘transvestism’ (cross-dressing) as a ‘sexual perversion’, Justice N Anand Venkatesh said in his order on Tuesday.

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The Judge added that the this reflected “how queerphobia is being reaffirmed as legitimate throughout the education of a doctor who might go on to become a psychiatrist or any physician who might be approached by a person from the community,” according to the order uploaded on mhc.tn.gov.in.

Referrring to an example, the judge said a psychiatrist had prescribed medicines to a gay man. and had also referred the concerned person to a psychotherapist for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. “This sample case clearly exhibits ignorance on the part of the doctor who is not even aware that there is no ‘cure’ for gender identity,” he added.

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Prescribing anti-depressants and erectile dysfunction drugs to a person and referring them to cognitive behavioural therapy as ‘remedy’ to their gender identity and sexuality is nothing but conversion ‘therapy’, camouflaged as medical and mental health support, the judge added. The Court further ordered strict action against those found to be indulging in attempts to cure/change sexual orientation.

The court also expressed dismay over complaints of police harassing the gay community despite his comprehensive instruction on June 7

The Court also condemned incidents of misreporting and insensitivity demonstrated by the media in publishing news about persons belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community.

The observations came on a plea by a lesbian couple seeking protection from their relatives.