Gay rights and bigotry.

ABSTRACT

Every day heterosexist ideals and norms encourage homophobia and prejudice. We need to be aware of and debate sophisticated forms of bigotry in today’s world. Modern medicine and psychiatry, since the 1970s, have abandoned pathologizing same-sex orientation and behaviour.1 The WHO accepts same-sex orientation as a normal variant of human sexuality.2 The United Nations Human Rights Council values Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) rights.3 Yet, India’s Supreme Court reinstated a law that bans gay sex by restoring Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code.4 The response from the mental health and legal establishment to this manifest bigotry was weak.5–7 It betrayed a poor understanding of the issues and reflected deeply ingrained prejudices.