Mohan Bhagwat, chief of influential Hindu group RSS, expresses support to LGBTQ community
Bhagwat said that LGBTQ and transgender people have the right to their own personal space
Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)—a Hindu nationalist organisation considered to be the political and social guide to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)—struck a conciliatory note with regards to the LGBTQ community and transgender persons.
His comments came on Wednesday, days before the government is due to respond to the Supreme Court about petitions to legalise same-sex marriage.
Inan interview with theOrganiser, the English language mouthpiece of the RSS, Bhagwat said that LGBTQ people have the right to their own private and social space and added that the Hindu society generally doesn’t see them and the transgender as a problem.
"People with such proclivities have always been there; for as long as humans have existed... This is biological, a mode of life. We want them to have their own private space and to feel that they, too, are a part of the society. This is such a simple issue. We will have to promote this view because all other ways of resolving it will be futile," he said, suggesting that the Hindu organisation, which has been opposed to homosexuality and same-sex marriage, is softening its stand on the issue.
Citing Hindu scriptures and mythology as the basis of his support, Bhagwat said, "Without much hullabaloo, we have found a way with a humane approach to provide them social acceptance."
Homosexuality was decriminalised in India in 208 after the Supreme Court scrapped the colonial-era Section 377 law.
Despite that, the concept of homosexuality hasn’t found space in the mainstream and is still considered by many as a taboo topic. However, the community has found greater acceptance compared to before in the conservative country.
In the past, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has refused to legalise same-sex marriage. But Bhagwat’s remarks on the issue could most likely force the government to re-think on the matter.
(With inputs from agencies)
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