What must be borne in mind about IPC's Section 377: Rapists, not homosexuals, are real threat to society

Let’s face it. The argument in defence of Section 377 is crude and a load of nonsense. It has no legs to stand on. The passionate position that it must continue because otherwise India will turn into a playground of sexual perverts is just overstretched imagination. Forget whether sex has to be procreative or recreative, it’s inherently creative. If creativity is ‘unnatural’ and ‘perversion’ then our culture and literature throw up enough evidence that ours has always been a land of sexual perverts. Thus the contention that the repeal of the article poses a threat to our pure culture does not wash. At the core of the argument is coercion, not any higher moral principle and assertion of puritanism over private choice. It is the simple fact that the ‘deviant’ minority needs to be suppressed because it does not conform to the regular and thus a potential threat to the society. There’s no logical explanation to this but that is how things are. [caption id=“attachment_2607806” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representative image. Reuters[/caption] The other day, one heard a television panelist, a lady, comparing the behaviour of homosexuals to that of animals. If the animals hear it they would surely be embarrassed. They have been the most puritan about sex, having it according to seasons, mating rules and going about it in the most ritualistic way. Perhaps they would ask the panelist whether she was any different. The homosexuals constitute a miniscule minority and thus should not be allowed to cause changes in a law that goes with the conduct of the majority, goes another argument. The fact is, the reality on the ground won’t change by this verdict. The majority, if they are puritanical and disciplined about their thought on sex, won’t turn lustful, horny creatures and thus a threat to wider society if there’s a changed law in place or there’s no law at all. Such argument betrays a lack of self-confidence. And the ‘miniscule minority’ won’t fade away just because their behaviour is perceived illegal by the law. It has been there all through human history and will continue to be around. Why not simply acknowledge it and get done with this nonsensical debate? It’s leading us nowhere. It’s a country where three-week old kids get raped, young boys get sodomised and rapes take place every 20 minutes. If we are talking of perversity, it does not lie with the LGBT community, it lies somewhere else. And it is far more widespread than the activities of the gay community. In the case of the later the sexual act is consensual, in the case of the former it is forced. The threat from the perverts on the loose to the society is much bigger. If women consider a city such as Delhi unsafe, and if elsewhere in the country travel in the bus or trains is difficult for girls, blame it on the sexual predators on the loose. Why not focus on them instead of staying fixated on the gay community? Frankly, it does not make any sense. We are getting our priorities wrong. Hope the Supreme Court concludes it with a verdict in favour of the community.