LGBT think-tank does survey in top Indian colleges, finds that while peer acceptance is not much of worry, profs remain biased

Even as celebrations took place across the country to mark the second anniversary of the Delhi High Court judgment that decriminalised homosexual relationships, members of a think-tank for the LGBT community were busy putting finishing touches to a survey they recently conducted. The survey by MINGLE (Mission for Indian Gay and Lesbian Empowerment), a gay and lesbian think-tank formed a few months ago, has thrown light on a few shocking facts on the problems faced by LGBT students across campuses in the country. According to the survey, campuses across the country are largely homophobic and 85 per cent of the 272 respondents questioned said they had been at the receiving end of harassment and homophobic jokes on campus.


Still some way to go: Of the 272 respondents in the survey, 85 percent
said they had been at the receiving end of harassment and homophobic
jokes on campus. Representation pic

The survey, which interviewed both LGBT and heterosexual youths, was conducted in 28 colleges. Among the institutions where the study was done were IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, BITS Pilani, St Xavier's in Mumbai, universities of Pune, Mumbai and Delhi. The survey showed that while the heterosexual youth is more open to accepting the homosexuality of peers, students face problems in getting acceptance from their college authorities or professors.