Mumbai model to represent India at Mr Gay World

Even as members of the countryrsquos homosexual community grapple with a legal framework that wants to push them back into the closet Sushant Divgikar has willingly offered himself as a flagbearer for gay pride The 24yearold is all set to embark for Rome where he will represent India in the Mr Gay World contest to be held between August 24 and August 30Sushant Divgikar is all set to represent India in the Mr Gay World contest to be held between August 24 and August 30 in Rome PicRane AshishThe courage that comes with the participation itself cannot be denied given that Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code deems a samesex sexual relationship an lsquounnatural offencersquo punishable by a 10year jail term Divgikar a Mumbai resident and degree holder in Psychology will be reaching Rome on August 23 The event will commence on August 24 with the grand finale scheduled for August 30Speaking to midday Divgikar candidly says that while he always harboured a wish to ldquobe an iconrdquo he has not entered the contest for personal glory alone but to set an example to other homosexuals in the country and urge them to be open about their sexuality ldquoWhen you are different from the majority you are always going to face discrimination whether overt or covert I believe that if we stand up for ourselves we shall be recognisedrdquoDivgikar has been busy preparing for the pageant with his mother Bharati helping him pick out clothes and and eat his way to a pageantworthy physique Divgikar says he owes his openness and honesty to the unwavering support shown to him by his parents ldquoI have the largest collection of Barbie dollsMy parents never stopped me from buying dolls they knew I liked them so they used to get them for me They were never rigid They let me choose what I wanted to be and hence today I am freely able to go out in the world so confidently They are the best parentsrdquoHomosexuals in the country were dealt a heavy blow by the countryrsquos justice system earlier last year when the Supreme Court reversed a 2009 Delhi High Court judgement decriminalising gay sex The ruling led to a fresh tide of discrimination against homosexuality in the country in recent monthsIn Tamil Nadu for instance a homosexual man was physically abused over his orientation In February a policeman in Gujarat assaulted a man who had participated in a gay pride parade On Tuesday citybased LGBT activist Harrish Iyer was spat upon and publicly humiliatedIn a scenario of nationwide discrimination Divgikar has the maturity and depth to say he sympathises with homophobia ldquoI am sympathetic towards them as they arenrsquot educated about the LGBT community My only question to them is this why canrsquot they accept us the way we are and allow us to keep our individuality intact We donrsquot impose our preferences on them so why do they have to impose their preferences on usrdquo he askedSonal Giani advocacy officer of Humsafar Trust said ldquoThe time is right now more than ever to assert our share of rainbow I am glad that people like Sushant representing the young gay India have torn open the closets and are representing India in international forums even though the law of his birthland is homophobic and discriminatoryrdquo