Madras HC Offers Protection To Woman Being Harassed By Family For Being In A Same-Sex Relationship

Madras HC Offers Protection To Woman Being Harassed By Family For Being In A Same-Sex Relationship

While same-sex relationships have become legal in India, there still remains a social stigma attached to these. Many conservative people do not acknowledge it as natural and often consider it a dishonor. Many call it a psychological disorder and try to look for a “cure” for members of LGBTQIA+ community. If you read up enough literature and watch enough videos on the subject, you will observe that people in same-sex relationships find it hard to accept it to themselves. When they cross that bridge, many people are concerned about how their families will react to it. A supportive family can make the journey so much easier.

However, Indian families, especially parents aren’t very in tune with the concept of mental health, and sexual orientation. Almost everything is taken as either a matter of pride or disgrace, homosexuality falling in the latter category. Which is why, often the court has to intervene in order to protect the rights of the members of LGBTQIA+ community.

Recently, the Madras High Court ordered the police to protect a 24-year-old woman and her same-sex partner from harassment. The petitioner said that her parents got her married to a man while she was just 17, that is, a minor. Over time, she realised she preferred women and not a heterosexual marriage. Which is why, she left her husband and told her family the truth.

That caused havoc in her family as they said things like they would rather prefer not having a daughter than having one in a same-sex relationship. So she left her house in April to live with her partner. After that, her parents filed a missing report.

In course of time, she realised she was queer and could not stay in a heterosexual marriage. As a result, she and her husband had fallen apart and nothing survived in the marriage.

She also told her family members that heterosexual relationship no longer interested her. Her family subjected her to immense verbal and physical abuse. They told her they would rather not have a daughter at all, someone like her. She left her house in April this year along with her woman partner. We really do hate our same-sex relationships.

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The judge directed the police that in any case where a missing report is filed by the parents of members of LGBTQIA+ community — if they are found to be living together consensually as adults — the police must close the complaint. In any case, they shouldn’t be harassed.

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Akanksha Narang

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