AIDS focus. A long and honourable tradition.

Abstract

The free expression of human sexuality in Indian culture has a long and honorable tradition rooted in early south Asian religions which predates Christianity by many millenia. From antiquity to comparatively recent times there were few if any sexual taboos among the south Asian religions and cultures. Hindu temples are decorated with erotic carvings and images which often show multiple and homosexual couplings. Babur founder of the Mogul empire took male partners as did Ranjit Singh an early religious leader. Homosexual activities were therefore practiced in India long before the Muslim and British invasions of the country. Fictional anecdotal and objective evidence indicate that same-sex activities continue to exist both before and after marriage in India. While men and women are actively homosexual in India Islamic religious dogma and the Indian Penal Code a legacy of the British Raj make it very difficult for individuals to openly acknowledge and practice their homosexuality. Ignorance of their sexually liberated historical tradition existing religious and cultural constraints and the desire to avoid bringing shame embarrassment and discrimination to the family have suppressed diversity of sexual expression in India and elsewhere in south Asia. The Western notion of homosexuality is unacceptable from a South Asian standpoint. South Asian cultures instead need to be aware of and proud of their sexual histories. Allowing it its appropriate historical perspective will increase understanding of the place of homosexual relationships in the heritage of the Indian sub-continent. Linking this and other aspects of HIV education to spiritual and religious traditions will strengthen the message and increase its acceptance.