What it means to be gay - homosexuality and HIV in India

Does homosexuality vary around the world? Do different patterns of homosexual behaviour demand new approaches to HIV prevention? Research from the UK University of Plymouth and the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands considers the sexual behaviour of men in India and asks whether the standard approach to fighting HIV can be effective in this setting.

Many gay men in the West define themselves by their sexuality: you are either gay or straight. But the situation in India is more complex. There are several patterns of homosexual behaviour. The standard model of collective action against HIV is impractical here.

While homosexuality in India is taboo and covert, it is not uncommon for men to have sex with men. They do not necessarily consider themselves to be homosexual. Girls in India are expected to be feminine and submissive but there is less pressure on boys to demonstrate masculine traits. Masculinity is confirmed by marriage and parenthood, so men do not need to be explicitly macho or heterosexual in order to assert their 'maleness'. Displays of affection, body contact and sharing beds are socially acceptable between men. These create opportunities for sexual contact, which is seen as a pleasurable activity rather than an expression of sexuality.

In Madras, South India, homosexuals fall into three sub-groups:

• 'danga' who behave like women and refer to each other as ‘she’ and ‘sister’ but usually wear men’s clothing
• ‘double deckers’, the closest equivalent to Western gays
• ‘panthi’, often aggressively masculine, who have female as well as male sexual partners.

In the West, men engaging in sex with other men are labelled ‘gay’. They belong to a particular social group with a strong sense of social identity. Early in the AIDS epidemic, gay men became aware of the risks of HIV transmission within their sexual networks and mounted a response. In contrast, the research found that in South India:

• Men can engage in sex with other men without considering themselves to be ‘gay’.
• The differing patterns of sexual behaviour mean that HIV can be spread very quickly.
• There is no single identifiable homosexual group to target in HIV prevention.

The vast majority of HIV prevention activities around the world are based on the example of gay groups in the West. Yet applying this blanket approach could be problematic:

• Compared to the numbers of men having sex with men in India, the 'gay community' is small.
• The development of the gay movement as another ‘minority group’ in the US is unlikely to be replicated in many countries.
• Gay men in the US have access to money, leadership skills, contacts and facilities which the poor and powerless do not have.

Policy-makers engaged in the fight against AIDS in the developing world should not assume that the Western version of homosexuality is relevant. They need to understand and address country-specific patterns of sexuality.

Source(s):
‘The social construction of male ‘homosexuality’ in India: implications for HIV transmission and prevention’ by S. Asthana and R. Oostvogels, Social Science and Medicine 52 (2001)

Funded by: The Nuffield Foundation

id21 Research Highlight: 30 November 2001

Further Information:
Sheena Asthana
Department of Social Policy and Social Work
University of Plymouth
Drake Circus
Plymouth
PL4 8AA
UK

Tel: +44 (0)1752 233235
Fax: +44 (0)1752 233209
Contact the contributor: s.asthana@plymouth.ac.uk

University of Plymouth, UK

Other related links:
See this issue of New Internationalist on sexual minorities.

UNAIDS produced these HIV/AIDS fact sheets for the UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS, 2001.

UNDP also has information on HIV/AIDS.

Asian AIDS Resources has resources relating to HIV/AIDS in the region.

The WHO's Department of HIV/AIDS also provides lots of relevant information.