Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The gay, lesbian and queer community in the city is disappointed and shocked by the Supreme Court’s verdict in the case seeking legality for same-sex marriages. They say that if the court was to ultimately put the ball in Parliament’s court, why did it take so long to deliver its verdict?
The SC, in its judgments pronounced on Tuesday, said an individual's right to enter into a union cannot be restricted on the basis of sexual orientation, but refused to legalise same-sex marriages.
Rajan, a Queer told Free Press that he and others with similar sexual orientations had great hopes from the Supreme Court. “The Court is the highest institution a citizen can approach seeking justice. When even it fails to give us justice, where should we go,” he said adding that “ the future of our relationships is in jeopardy. Why should we not get the same rights as hetrosexual couples?.”
Balram, a gay, who runs the Mitra Shringar Samiti, a group of gay people, said that like the hetrosexual people, they too have their rights. “Now that the SC has said that only Parliament can take a call on the issue, we will approach the MPs. After all, we are also voters. When they come to us to seek our votes, they will have to listen to our demands”, he said.
A lesbian, who didn’t want to be identified said, “The court seems to say that we are not bad guys, but we are not going to be good guys either. That’s not an ally. All of that feels hollow now.”
Gaurav Prateek, a Queer, said that the judgement doesn’t deserve a celebration. Although the court has recognised several aspects of being Queer but mere recognition won’t secure equal rights to the community. There is a need for a concrete law, legally recognising same-sex unions and marriages, he says.
Others with similar sexual orientations say that they have no hopes from the BJP Government. The government has already made it clear that it views same-sex relationships as “unnatural, against Indian culture and urban and elitist”, hence there is little chance that it will ever legalise same-sex matrimony, they said.
