28% married men express desire to come out as gay after 377 verdict: Survey

MUMBAI: More than a month after the Supreme Court’s verdict on Indian Penal Code Section 377 that decriminalised gay sex between two consenting adults, an online survey claims 28% married men who identify being part of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and transgender and others (LGBT+) community have expressed a desire to come out of the closet.

The online survey conducted by Planet Romeo, an international dating app for gay men, which focuses on reactions on the community after the verdict, has found that 33% of gay men are married, out of which 28% would want to come out after the verdict.

Out of the married men surveyed, 47% said that it was not their family which pressurised them to get married, whereas around 25% were very much under pressure to get married by their family. Out of the 28% who are married, 5% of them have married a lesbian.

“While it is a welcome change that (seemingly) heterosexually married men are deciding to come out, they would have to be considerate of the repercussions of their actions,” said Harish Iyer, LBGTQ activist.

The survey was conducted on 3,392 members from the community across the country, with 40% responses com- ing in from bigger cities that have a population of more than 10 million.

The study undertaken had 46% people between the age group of 26 and 35, followed by 23% in the age group of 18 to 25.

“There is no available data, which is why we have surveyed our community members in India. It has a population of 1.3 billion, and that’s larger than all of Africa or 3 times the European Union. Statistically speaking, there are about 42 million LGBT+ people in India. That’s why this is the biggest liberation in human history,” said ROMEO team in the survey.

The survey also adds that around 38% members from the LGBT+ community would vote for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming elections.

“This is one of the biggest surveys that has happened within the community and it is huge because it is believed and observed that our community usually votes for democrats, which are left aligned,” said Ankit Bhuptani, a social educator.

“But, in a diverse country like ours the survey states that the community has gone beyond their sexuality and considered other factors, though most queer members are anti-modi,” Bhuptani said.