Gay guys make great friends (BangaloreMirror)
Homosexuals really listen, empathise and console when ‘straight’ friends shy away from such ‘womanly’ attitudes
I met a childhood friend for brunch recently. We had great fun. Incidentally, he is good looking, intelligent, funny and... gay! Some time back I attended a beautiful wedding ceremony. The couple exchanged rings, garlands and read out the wedding vows. Both of them were men. That wedding might not be legal in India, but for the newlywed couple and their close friends, it was as meaningful as other weddings. As long as the union was for love, their gender did not matter to any of us. One guest even joked that this was surely one way of solving India’s most serious problem — overpopulation!
Most Indians assume homosexuality was introduced to the country from the west. But if you visit ancient Hindu temples you will find many sculptures of same-sex up to all kinds of antics. Even Manusmriti mentions about homosexual practices and the punishments prescribed for such behavior. Referring to a lesbian relationship between an older woman and a virgin woman Manusmriti says “a woman who pollutes a virgin shall instantly have her head shaved and be made to ride through the town on a donkey”. Rigveda, one of the sacred texts of Hinduism, says ‘Vikruti Evam Prakriti’ meaning what seems un-natural is also natural! Ancient Indian epics and tales speak of same sex unions between several gods, goddesses, kings and queens. Transsexuals are also venerated: Lord Vishnu as Mohini and Lord Shiva as Ardhanarishwara.
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