Family pressures and financial dependency are among the most frequently cited reasons for Indian women staying married to gay men, experts say, in a country where gay sex is not only stigmatised but outright illegal. In 2012, the Indian government estimated that 2.5 million gay men live in the country, which has a population of more than 1.2 billion.
Many gay men in India marry under intense pressure from their families. While there is no data on forced marriages, Anjali Gopalan - executive director of the Naz Foundation, which has led a legal battle to decriminalise gay sex in India - said she has counseled thousands of gay men over the past two decades.
"Most parents tell the men to produce children and be gay in secret," Gopalan told Al Jazeera, noting there are currently no support groups in the country for the wives of gay men because such matters are considered private. "Most of them have nowhere to go for help."
Nimmy and Rashmi said they experienced similar emotions upon discovering their partners were gay: shock and denial, followed by intense anxiety when they decided to confront the issue. Both said that being able to earn a livelihood and having access to the Internet to find help, were key to them leaving their husbands. Now, they are planning to build a website and support group to connect "straight partners" in India.
[,,,]
Rashmi wants to reach out to Indian women in similar situations by launching a website in English and Hindi languages, which will include a "checklist" as well as information to join a private support group.
While interacting with Westerners on support groups, Rashmi said that she realised they could not always relate to the social constraints and the conservative culture that Indian women faced. She said people in the West often linked recovery with dating again.
Indian gay men's wives 'trapped' in marriage - Aljazeera
No comments:
Post a Comment