British Colonialism: Indian Homophobia

Shikhandini of the epic Mahabharata, a gender-fluid warrior. Mohini of the Matsya Purana, a transgender deity. Indian history and mythology are chock full of LGBTQ+ figures and stories, so why do they seem so backwards today? Let’s discuss British colonialism.

In 1861, the British Raj made homosexuality illegal under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. However, for hundreds of years prior, in India, and many other countries across Asia, homosexuality was never persecuted. Although some priests and scriptures condone members of the LGBTQ+ community, historians agree that pre-colonial Indian society neither criminalized same-sex relationships nor viewed it negatively. This is evident in Sanskrit texts dating back centuries and Hindu temples across the country which depict same-sex relationships. However, that all changed when Britain colonized India, bringing modern day homophobia with them.

Indian politician and writer Shashi Tharoor captures the situation perfectly with the quote “, if [Indians] missed the bus of modernization, it’s because [the British] threw us under the wheels.” Enze, Han, author of “British Colonialism and the Criminalization of Homosexuality,” describes the homophobia of the Victorian code, and how the British forced such beliefs upon colonized peoples under punishment of law.

Well, Britain is one of the most progressive nations today and legalized homosexuality a long time ago, so why haven’t they changed? Once a law is in place, it’s difficult to change in both legal and psychological perspectives, especially if it’s enforced under the punishment of death for over 200 years. Take a look at slavery, and how we still deal with the aftermaths of it today.

Researchers attribute the widespread liberal and progressive beliefs of millennials and generation Z to the internet and the availability of information, which is why acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community is growing between generations. However,what if there was no internet and no available information? That is the scenario in India and many other Asian countries. British colonialism saw money taken from colonies such as India, Malaya, and Burma and invested into the British economy with no returns for the colonies. As a result, many artisans and workers became subsistence farmers. While Britain was industrializing rapidly from the profits of imperialism and capable of progressing socially, their colonies regressed from thriving cultural hubs to poor agrarian societies. British colonialism crippled India’s economy. India’s economy went from 27% of the global GDP in the 1700s to a mere 3% by the time of their independence in the 1900s. As a result, they were not able to industrialize at the same time and pace as their western peers and therefore, were stuck in the past. Unlike Hong Kong, which was heavily invested in and industrialized, it was more beneficial to the UK to keep India as an exploitable colony via regressive agrarian societies.

In an agrarian society, the only information people get is from their elders, and if their elders hold homophobic beliefs, then so will the next generation, and the next generation, until the cycle is broken. So, how do we break the cycle? Education. And education comes with modernization and industrialization. However, it takes centuries for farmers to industrialize into a modern-day society. America for example, from the foundation of colonies to the industrial revolution to modern day America, took about 500 years. Given that India only got her independence a few decades ago, and over half the country still doesn’t have access to reliable internet, it’s going to take some time.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t only the LGBTQ+ community that was suppressed by the British, women’s position in society fell drastically. The British transformed a time when multiple empresses and queens such as Rudrama Devi of Warangal and Padmini of Chittor ruled states and kingdoms and were allowed to hold prominent positions in the society to a time where women were confined to the home. As a result of British colonization and the appropriation of Victorian norms, many matriarchal societies along the Malabar Coast such as Ponnani and Vadakara were forced into patriarchal traditions which remain today. The main purpose of Indian women in Indian society became to marry and have kids, and sadly that remains true today. Patriarchal Victorian customs still remain in Indian society today as women are taught to cover their skin regardless of heat, speak softly ‘dheere bolo,’ and dowry remains a common tradition. In a shocking study from the Crime Records Bureau, close to 9000 Indian women are killed every year over dowry disputes, and over 50% of women experience some form of domestic abuse.

If there’s something to learn from this, it’s that we need to look at both sides of the story, before assuming the fault of one side. A model case of cultural imperialism, it’s hard to imagine that such a progressive nation has left dozens of others in the dust. Colonialism may have ended a while ago, but the consequences can still be seen today, and to progress forward we must stay educated, and educate others. In our attempt to deconstruct social norms and oppressive relationships, we must also understand why these oppressive relationships persist with more friction in many countries more than Western nations, and why they emerged in the first place. And, if you can, donations to groups such as Project Nanhi Kali and Naz India go a long way.