Now Gays could make a vote bank !!

While launching the election campaign, Sonia Gandhi or L K Advani issues an open letter to the gay community in India promising not Delhi HC decriminalises gay sex Gay activists celebrate the Delhi High Court ruling decriminalising gay sex, in New Delhi.just decriminalization, but also recognition of partnerships, equality in getting spousal benefits, and adoption rights. Impossible, you might say. But if you were to look at it closely, such an open letter could well be based on hard-nosed political consideration. Going by estimates in other parts of the world, gays in the country could be anywhere between 2% and 13% of the total population, which works out 20 million to 130 million. Christians account for a little over 2% of India’s population, while Muslims make up roughly 13% — both significant enough groups to attract the special attention of the political class. Even if a conservative figure of 5% were to be assumed as Indian’s gay population, why wouldn’t shrewd politicians consider them as a vote bank, now that homosexuality has been decriminalised (unless of course they are scared of alienating the anti-gay lobby)? The added advantage here is that gays, unlike other communities, are a 100% adult population. In short, all of them have voting rights. And yet, political parties get the chills at the mere thought of identifying with homosexual rights. But not so in countries with a long history of struggle for LGBT rights. Barak Obama wrote an open letter on February 28, 2008 to the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community, promising he would use his influence to push states to recognize same sex marriages, among other gay-friendly actions. Obama was in a close fight with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. So, despite personal reservations, he took a pro-gay position hoping to woo a huge vote bank of anything between 6 to 35 million people. He ended up rallying massive support from the homosexual community. In Europe, sensitivity to rights of sexual minorities is well developed in most countries except the eastern ones. Spain will be going to polls in September, and the ruling Socialist Party has promised to legalise same sex marriages if re-elected. In Germany, Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, an otherwise rightwing party, too adopts a tolerant approach towards LGBT rights, while the Social Democrats promise legalized civil unions. Elections are coming up in autumn this year. Thanks to the clout acquired by sexual minorities in various countries, Europe has some of the most progressive laws in relation to them: 5 countries have legal same-sex marriages and 19 others have recognized civil unions between members of same sex. Opinion polls clearly show that treating the LGBT community as a vote bank is not merely because of their own numbers. It is because of a much wider support that they get from society at large. A Eurobarometer poll in 2006 showed that in eight countries, more than 50% supported same-sex marriages. An Observer poll in 2008 showed that over 55% Britons support gay marriages while in France, 62% people support gay marriages according to an Angus Reid poll. In the cut-throat politics of Europe, there is a race among competing political parties to garner LGBT support.
Significantly, most countries with predominantly Christian populations, including Europe, have not only legalised homosexuality but gone beyond.

The Indian gay-lesbian community has still a long way to go. But if any lessons can be learnt from the West, building public opinion in their support will galvanise the political class like nothing else.