Now that India’s gays can enjoy same-sex relationships without the threat of jail time hanging over their head, many fellas are taking full advantage — at least enough that their wives are finding out about their closed door activities. Or willing to address the matter publicly. Which means these women are fleeing their gay husbands in droves.
We already heard about Karishma, 30, filing domestic violence charges against her husband Salman, 39, after learning their 10-year marriage (that resulted in two children) had evolved into Salman having “changed his sexual preference.”
In the year since the Delhi High Court passed a landmark judgment overturning a 150-year-old law and legalising consensual homosexual relationships between adults, more and more women stuck in unhappy marriages have filed for divorce on the grounds that their husbands are “homosexual”. Most women were once reluctant to speak out against their husbands for such a sexual orientation; many now seem to have overcome that.
“It isn’t that such cases have not been filed with the courts earlier. We have had many women who after a lot of prodding and investigations spoke up. A change, even though slight, has been seen in the court when women narrate their case. That is a major mind change,” said Advocate Shabnam Kazi, who practises in the family court in Bandra.
With more women going public, maybe it’s time to form some support groups? Homosexual Ex-Husbands Anonymous. [India Express]
James
Don’t get it twisted — India as a country, is still very homophobic. And I say that as a gay Indian-American. There is still no public “gay community” in India — there’s a few discreet organizations and gay groups in major cities like Mumbai, Delhi or Bangalore, but for the most part, everything is mostly underground. Sure, Indians know that some of their own are gay, but it’s something that’s just never discussed with others.
Think of America in the 1950s or 1960s — that’s where India is, socially speaking, today, when it comes to issues of sexuality or homosexuality.
After all, this is a country whose idea of “online dating” is not using match.com — instead it’s using shaadi.com, which bills itself as the “world’s largest Indian matrimonial website.” (no same-sex couple matching, of course)
Paul
im an american with an indian boyfriend… i lived in india for about a year.. james comments are right on… persecution of gays especially by public, employers still huge issue