Conversion Therapy: Glimpsing through the Indian Lens

India is not a country that forgets easily its controversies, as we have often seen with such issues in the LGBTQ+ community whether it has been the same-sex marriage issue or something as flamboyant as the sports controversy. Their unconventional lifestyles have always been making the headlines. With me belonging to Generation Z, it would be weird if a long-standing friend came out as non-binary, or a 50-year-old math teacher announced she was trans. Embracing diversity may prove difficult to most people who follow traditional ways of thinking, especially during Pride month. Traditional views are very common, such as women being caregivers, men being breadwinners, children carrying on family business, and so on. This attitude is very deep seated, and the notion of LGBTQ+ counters the conventional understanding of reproduction in the sense that same-sex partners do not have an option to have children except through adoption, sperm donation for lesbians, or gestational carrying for surrogacy in gays. Now, take a moment. When a child, say 16 years of age, realises that he is, attracted to both male and female, in a household like India, it is not particularly the best feeling. For someone whose family has always been after a having a solid plan. “Pacchis pe naukri, chabbis pe chokri, tees pe bacche, saatth pe retirement aur phir maut ka intezaar” — a very famous and pervasive dialogue which was used in the film “Yeh Jawani Hai Dewaani”. Strangely enough, that describes 80% of the people of our country. For some, this may seem like the one thing they’re meant to achieve in life. For some, a dream such as this might be too much to afford, and for some, life doesn’t stop there. I mentioned earlier how Indian parents and their ancestors are cultured in traditional stereotypes. For them, anything that departs from the norm is taboo. But what if that 12-year-old daughter, who has always been fascinated with Barbie dolls and princess movies, realizes that she is attracted to girls? While many families welcome this discovery and make their child's happiness paramount, other families are less able to accept it and seek out conversion therapy. Looking at the matter in greater depth, however, puts conversion therapy into a very sinister light. And trust me, that sounds a lot worse when you dig deeper into it.