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Section 377: The Criminalization Of Homosexuality

996 Words4 Pages

The problem

1. Political criminalization

“Section 377 acts as a complete prohibition on the penetrative sexual acts engaged in by homosexual men, thereby criminalizing their sexual expression and identity. Section 377 was used as a tool by the police to harass, extort and blackmail homosexual men and prevented them from seeking legal protection from violence; for fear that they would themselves be penalized for sodomy. The stigma and prejudice created and perpetuated a culture of silence around homosexuality and resulted in denial and rejection at home along with discrimination in workplaces and public spaces” (http://www.lawyerscollective.org/vulnerable-communities/lgbt/section-377.html)

2. Psychosocial l issues

2.1 Internalized homophobia. …show more content…

Most often, these attitudes represent the stigma and negativity (homophobia) against individuals with same-sex attractions and behavior. As a result, sexual minorities learn to believe that same-sex sexuality is inferior and worthy of shame; collectively, these beliefs are commonly known as internalized homophobia (Nungesser, 1983; Shidlo, 1994)

2.2 Cognitive Dissonance and Identity Confusion

As a result of experiencing same-sex sexual arousal or behavior in a homonegative environment, young adolescents' feelings of being different often develop into cognitive dissonance and identity confusion, the second stage of gay/lesbian identity development (Troiden 1989).
Characteristic of this stage is feeling a sense of isolation that includes (a) feeling alone in every social situation; (b) feeling there is no one to talk to; (c) feeling the need to emotionally distance oneself from others; (d) fearing that same-sex friendships may be misinterpreted; and (e) feeling hopeless about the future (Martin and Hetrick 1987; Ryan and Futterman 1998)

2.3 Insecure attachment …show more content…

He starts to understand higher ways of relating with opposite sex and understands that sexual relationship is only one part of the relationship that you can have with opposite sex. This process of sexual desensitization doesn’t occur with gay population because of the social structure which doesn’t let them come out as gays and mingle freely with other gay

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