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Gay News: The Indian Health Minister has described homosexuality as a "disease" introduced to the country by foreigners.
Ghulam Nabi Azad
Indian Minister - Homosexuality is a disease
Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad was speaking at a meeting on HIV and AIDS prevention in Delhi on Monday.
He told the assembled delegates that the “disease” of homosexuality, which previously had been found more in the developed world, had now been brought to the sub-continent by foreigners.
“Even though [homosexuality] is unnatural, it exists in our country and is now fast spreading, making it tough to detect,” he said.
“With relationships changing, men are having sex with men now. Though it is easy to find women sex workers and educate them on sex, it is a challenge to identify men having sex with men.”
His comments were immediately challenged by gay rights activists.
Activist Mohnish Kabir Malhotra told the AFP news agency: “I think the minister needs to apologise immediately. He has insulted the entire homosexual community.
“Homosexuality is very much a part of nature and it even finds references in historical texts. To call it unnatural is absurd.”
Anjali Gopalan of the NAZ Foundation gay rights organisation also criticised the health minister’s comments. “These comments help no cause,” she said. “It’s definitely not going to help in our fight against HIV.”
A spokesperson for the Indian Health Ministry insisted that Mr Azad had been talking of HIV and AIDS and not homosexuality and that he had not intended to insult anyone.
Homosexuality was legalised in India in 2009, but the subject is still taboo to a large part of the population.
It is estimated that more than 8% of gay men in India are HIV-positive, compared to 1% of the general population.
