So are there homosexuals in India? Yes, there are. No matter what the government might tell you, the homosexual communities in India have been thriving for a long time and are increasingly gaining visibility and accessing public spaces like never before. The regional homosexual communities possess their own distinct charm and identity that is unlike the west. One of the queerest facts of India (no pun intended!) is that apart from gay or lesbian or trans-gender identities, there are numerous other identities adopted by many Indians. These identities relate to both being homosexual or identifying as trans-gender. Some examples: a kothi in India is how ‘effeminate’ male homosexuals identify themselves. Their partners are called panthis. The term hijra in India denotes a culturally defined identity of post-operative male-to-female transsexuals. The hijra community is a vast sub-culture by itself with their own leaders and occupations.

Some support services for lesbian,gay,bisexual,trangender (LGBT) and others  in South India

Can I be harassed for holding my partner’s hands? Kissing my partner in public? One thing you’ll notice when you are in India is that most men don’t make a fuss about holding another man’s hands. We have often had baffled expressions from people not used to seeing public affection being shown by two men in India. The question “Are all Indian men gay?” might be a silly one, but the following must be noted. Homoerotic camaraderie is considered just that, camaraderie. No meaning is to be read into it and boys and men alike consider it perfectly okay to hold hands or embrace each other without anyone raising eyebrows. Other forms of public affection, on the other hand, will meet with stares or downright open hostility. Kissing is seen as a private act that not many men or women will engage with their partners in public. But this is a globalising world. Sex in the city sells here as well. So, you might find that the rules are relaxed in case of heterosexual couples in many urban areas. But same-sex partners might find it more difficult. So what’s the final word? You can hold hands or embrace in public. No one will care. If you want to express more than that, wait till you get to a more private environment.

Is homosexuality legal in India? The erstwhile British rulers of the Indian subcontinent left behind an archaic system of law that still exists today Section 377 is part of the Indian Penal Code that penalises homosexual sex. But two interesting points emerge when talking of Section 377. Firstly, this anti-sodomy law has been used all of 43 times since its genesis 150 years ago. Most of these cases have been non-consensual and involving adults and children. Secondly, the way it is phrased, any person (heterosexual or homosexual or otherwise) who is caught having non peno-vaginal sexual intercourse can be punished under this law. The law however has more direct consequences for many homosexuals. Hustlers and police personnel out to exploit the law and the fear that many queers have about being outed. Beyond this, as one wisecrack noted, if the law had been seriously implemented, the Indian prisons would be overflowing in no time. Of course, no one has been arrested just for calling themselves gay or lesbian so far. The most cruel punishments and harassments are meted out to the kothi and hijra communities who face the brunt of an ignorant law. But for all practical purposes, the nuances of how the law is read are irrelevant. Homosexual sexual behaviour is considered illegal in India. If you want to know more about the law and the efforts at repealing it, do contact the local community.

Bangalore Good As You An informal support group for LGBT people. Meets on Thursdays from 6:30pm to 8.30pm. Tel: Call Sahaya helpline on 223 0959. E-mail: goodasyoubangalore@yahoo.com Website: www.geocities.com/goodasyoubangalore/ Prerana Informal support group for lesbians and bisexual women. Meetings are held on the first and third Sunday of each month. Contact the Sahaya Help Line, on 223 0959, on Tuesdays and Fridays, between 7 and 9 PM   E-mail: prerna_bangalore@yahoo.com. Sahaya Telephone Helpline Helpline for LGBT people Open Tuesday and Friday, 7 PM to9 PM. Tel: 223 0959 E-mail: sahayabangalore@hotmail.com Sangama Sexuality minorities’ rights organization, offering other services like documentation, outreach and advocacy on sexuality issues. Flat 13, 3rd Floor, ‘Royal Park’Apartments, 34 Park Road, Tasker Town, (BehindHotel ‘Harsha’, Near Shivajinagar Bus Stand) Bangalore - 560051, India. Tel: 2868680/2868121. E-mail: sangama@sangamaonline.org Website: www.sangamaonline.org Swabhava NGO providing access to support services for LGBT people. No. 54 Nanjappa Road, Shantinagar, Bangalore - 560 027. Tel: 212 4441. E-mail: swabhava_trust@hotmail.com

Mysore Gelaya Trust No. 380, 4th Cross, off M. G. Road, Udayagiri 2nd Stage, Mysore – 570 019 Tel: 2457751 E-mail: gelayaa2000@yahoo.co.in Kerala Foundation for integrated Research in Mental Health (FIRM) An NGO which supports all sexuality identities. PTP N E 30. PTP Nagar. P. O. Trivandrum. 695038 E-mail: jayasree@vsnl.com Phone: 0471-2368142 Sahyatrika Project (for lesbian and bisexual women) T.C. 26/1666, Convent Road, Vanchiyoor, Trivandrum 35. Helpline: 0471-575810 Thursdays 3.30 pm to 7.30 pm. E-mail : sahyatrika@rediffmail.com Vathil (Kerala LBGT discussion forum which meets the second Sunday of every month 10 am to 4 pm.)Contact Avishkaram, P.B.NO:2461Thiruvananthapuram 11 Kerala. E-mail: avishkaram@yahoo.co.in Tel: +91 471 2368142 ( 11:00 AM - 04:00 PM on all working days). +91 471 2369498 ( 02:30 PM - 05:30 PM on Thursdays only)

What’s gay Bangalore like? Since you will be travelling into and from Bangalore, here’s a peek into the gay scene in Bangalore. Queer Bangalore is mostly a paradox. There are no pubs, bars, saunas or discotheques that have openly announced gay and lesbian nights. Even queer-friendly public spaces are hard to find (something that Mumbai, Kolkatta and Delhi can gloat about). Cruising spaces for men around the city have become increasingly policed and unfriendly. But Bangaloreans make the best of whatever is available. Private queer parties are held in hired venues almost every month, with at least a hundred queer guys and gals showing up. Bangalore’s media has not only turned supportive over the years, but has turned queerness into a fashion statement!. There are more than 10 organisations and support groups working with homosexuals directly or indirectly in Bangalore. These groups are also linked to the eighty or so groups around India. The Internet phenomenon that took the world by storm has seen its greatest impact in Bangalore, the silicon valley of the east. Dozens of Internet queer communities have spawned over the last ten years reflecting a community that is soaring with confidence. Queer activism, which joined hands with women’s groups and sex workers’ groups against oppression and discrimination, has reached a crescendo, with incidents of police harassment against effeminate homosexuals and sex workers now reducing. No wonder then that Bangalore is sometimes referred to as the gay capital of India!