My message to the LGBT community

I came across this video (https://youtu.be/RHZbeLdVxnY) today morning and it incensed and saddened me to know that someone who has enough confidence to address President Obama had to beg and be a prostitute in the past. I have been coming across different news articles about the discrimination meted out to the LGBT community for quite some time now. The problem with us is, unless we are able to draw parallels to situations, our advice and views fall on deaf ears and it can also get me admonished for doling out advice without proper comprehension of other’s plight. So here is my message to the community.

I was in a temple with my dad recently. There was a sizable crowd milling around and suddenly we saw a cat walking by with it’s tail up. The first thing that came our minds was, if that was any other animal, even a cockroach, it would have drawn some sort of response from the people. But no one bothers about cats. There are people who like cats and people who don’t but the general consensus is that of acceptance. How do they achieve this? They package themselves beautifully. They tempt us to cuddle them, they purr when we stroke them, they keep themselves clean and they do all sorts of weird things to attract our attention to them.  Now, all members of the feline family are notoriously elusive. How come only cats adapted to us? Because they know we have adapted to them and they would be safe among us. But cats can never be domesticated completely. I have lived with cats all my life and I know that if I touch them when they are busy or doing their own things I am going to get bitten or scratched for sure.

Let me draw that parallel here with the LGBT community. Transgenders throng buses, trains and traffic signals in India, they touch people and ask for money. I find it very uncomfortable because physical contact with anyone, be it with fellow humans or animals should always be based on mutual consent. Why would I give you money based on your sexual orientation? Why would I care about the sexual orientation of people who are travelling or working with me? I may not know the sexual orientation of my colleagues sitting around me and they may not be knowing mine, but how does it matter? By highlighting your sexuality, you are taking the worst possible way of projecting your image to the world. This is a world where it is possible to sell anything if packaged properly. In business, no matter what people come up with but unless they have a proper marketing strategy, their ideas will never be successful in the market.

Unless we strive for recognition and work for it, the world will never accept us regardless of our religion, caste, colour and sexuality. Our sexuality is not the only aspect that defines us. Don’t let it define you and don’t allow the world to do it either. How do handicapped people become successful in life? They direct their focus on what they have and work on enhancing their abilities. That’s how Beethoven composed his music despite being deaf. We all have talents and abilities, we just need to open our minds and ask ourselves what is it that we want to do with our lives. Kent Cullers is an individual worth knowing about in this context (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_Cullers). He is just a regular guy who was totally blind from the time he was born and went on to head SETI, NASA’s highly advanced space program. The world around us is filled with such inspiring stories of people. When nothing could hold them back, why is your sexuality coming in your way and stopping you from becoming successful?

I will not accept you as L, G, B or T; I can accept you only as human beings. The world is also looking to do the same. The change has to come from within each one of you. Humans did not accept cats into their lives one fine day. It took thousands of years to reach the level of understanding and coexistence we have now. Tap into your talents and force your way through. Crack those entrance exams to get into the top engineering and medical colleges, business schools and civil services. Start your own businesses. This is a time when even small ideas are getting promoted through funding. Who is going to deny and stop you then? By asking to hug him, Akkai Padmashali was looking for acceptance from President Obama, not for herself but for the whole LGBT community. By touching us and asking for money, you are actually seeking our acceptance. Don’t beg the world for acceptance, bring the world towards you, like the cats do. Wrap yourself with your abilities, reveal your true self to the world and see what happens.

By the way, why do you care if LGBT is a crime in India or anywhere else? It is just a law and they say all laws are meant to be broken. Cheating on lawfully wedded partner is also a crime, but is the law acting as a deterrent for anyone? What do you hope to achieve by getting a legal stamp over your sexuality? A law in India will not liberate you from society’s discrimination. Is it about marrying your partner? Marriage is a social norm that has outlived it’s purpose by a long way. Be it in any sort of relationship, two individuals do not and should not need the consent of anyone to be in that relationship and no one should be bothered unless you and your relationship is creating any negative disruption in the society and is adversely affecting peoples’ lives.

Its not just you, the entire human race is confused about our purpose of existence. If you are confused about being L, G, B or T, then I should also be confused about why I was born straight. Understand one thing very clearly. Nothing exists in the Universe without a reason. There is a purpose to every event that happens in the cosmos. There has to be some purpose for the existence of each one of us. If no purpose exists, we would not be alive. There has to be reasons about your sexuality as well. Maybe it is not yet time for the reasons to be revealed. You are alive and breathing now and nothing else should matter to you. Shift your focus away from your sexuality and focus on becoming successful in life and you will force the world to shift it’s focus from your sexuality to your achievements. Become those cats. This transformation will not only bring you peace it will also make the world a better place to live.