A Mumbai-based NGO working in the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) space, had recently released a manual for counsellors supportive of parents of LGBT children
A Mumbai-based NGO working in the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) space, had recently released a manual for counsellors supportive of parents of LGBT children. Some time ago, the same NGO had organised a meet wherein they had named and shamed doctors who had promised such parents that they could change their children’s sexual preferences by ‘techniques’ such as shock or aversion therapy.
Few days ago, a lesbian couple in the city attempted to commit suicide — only one of girls survived.
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The 21-year-olds were driven to the drastic step after one of the families denounced their relationship. One of the girl’s fathers was especially aggressive and had heaped profanities on the other girl’s relatives.
Indian families need to wake up to a new reality that your children may be in a same-sex relationship. There is far more visibility for LGBT people now than there was ever before. Even our movies are a reflection of the changing trends.
Parents need to be aware about gay rights and more accepting of same sex relationships rather than enforcing their will on children. Herein lies the significance of counsellors who can perhaps talk to parents, reading them similar instances across the globe and generally, helping them form a network where they can communicate with other parents. But it’s also important to be able to talk to your own child without ridiculing or chastising them for their choices.
Advocacy groups working in the LGBT space should target parents and families to help them deal with homophobia. Perhaps it’s time to question if there’s more friction in families now because youngsters are afraid of coming out to them with the declaration that “We are queer, we are here — get used to it”.
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