Two out of five students in IIT Bombay think homosexuality is a disease: Report

The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay is supposed to be one of the best educational institutes in the country. [caption id=“attachment_3033906” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] But according to a report published in the student media body of the institute called Insight, a considerable number of students do not have positive views or even views based on accurate facts about homosexuality. For example, the report said that 38 percent of the students — or almost two out of every five students — think that homosexuality is a disease which can be ‘cured’ by a remedy. “Even in institutions of science and technology, people — although not many — still believe in this medication theory,” said the report. A considerable number of students (23 percent) also believe that few members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community have exploited their sexuality simply to get famous. The report further stated that 37 percent of the students believed that homosexuality is against religion. The statistics also pointed out that while a majority of the students believed that the LGBTQ members must fight for their rights, few students were themselves willing to help the students or fight homophobia. Around 46 percent of the respondents also said that they will be “strongly uncomfortable” having LGBTQ members as roommates. “While most of us are clearly empathetic of the LGBTQ movement and individuals in general, we aren’t yet as comfortable with the concept that we can share a room with a person of a different sexual orientation,” the report said.