The main idea behind creating Taboo Talks a public website is to let people feel free to share their experiences, ideas, views or content on topics they consider taboo.
Should LGBT be allowed in defense?
So, let’s try understanding the Past, Present, and Future of this. Before going to the History of this, let’s be cleared one thing the Indian Army, the Indian Air force, and the Indian Navy were a legacy of the British Empire. That’s why we sometimes say or heard “Angrezo-ki-fauj.” But this does not mean Defense Forces lives by the rule and regulation left by the Britishers.
Yes, many rituals and some traditions are still followed by the defense. So, In September 2018, the Supreme Court Struck down Article 377. Indian Ex. Army Chief and current Chief Of Defense staff said, “Homosexuality will continue to be considered an offense in armed forces and continued saying Indian army is not “Westernized.”
This statement may sound opposite to the Supreme Court Judgment that struck down a part of controversial Section 377 and decriminalized consensual sex between LGBT+ community.
So, we can understand by the above paras that gay sex is a punishable offense in defense. But let’s not conclude by saying other countries like the USA, Australia, Israel, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Germany, etc., allow gay personals. We need to understand our nation is a Young nation, and the USA’s oldest democracy took decades to strike down this.
Why should LGBTQ not be allowed in defense?
Don’t worry; I am not jumping to a conclusion. First, we need to understand who our heroes in Army are. Indian Army soldiers come from our nation’s remotest areas where Homosexuality is considered taboo (Thanks to Colonial rule, which caused our nation to discriminate against gender, caste, and creed).
So, if Army starts Recruiting LGBTQ personals, the personals coming from the nation’s remotest part might oppose the Army rules & regulations. A soldier coming from the remotest part of India might not follow his senior who is Homosexual. Yes, this thing is wrong, but the Indian Army, the fourth largest Army, is also a very young army with Solider with low backgrounds and almost no education.
The number of officers who serve in the Indian Army is also lower than the expected number, so immediate recruitment of homosexual soldiers will lead to difficulty keeping the discipline of the soldier of the Indian Army. We need to understand that our nation is still living in the past with lots of discrimination with gender, caste, and creed. So, rather than the immediate recruitment of Homosexual soldiers, we need to study and let the army work upon this. Indian Army where never a single coup happened, we should keep faith in them.
What should be the Solution and conclusion:
First, we need to start talking about the problem and start educating our Army that our nation, which has the oldest and majority religion, never discriminated against Gender, Cast, or creed.
We need to start educating and accepting the LGBTQ in our community as our soldiers come from the same neighborhood. If the mentality of Community changes, Mentality of Indian Army soldiers changes, then automatically, recruitment of Homosexual Personals will happen.
But this is a long run; this will take time. If we hurry up and jump to answers, that might cause chaos. Slow and steady, everything will change, but this will take lots of time. Our army Chiefs are well aware and well-educated and will make the right decision for the nation’s security.
Let’s be patient and have faith in our three defense forces; they are the nation’s pride and the backbone of our nation.
One day LGBT be allowed in defense.
it explores these conceptual issues within a global and local context and demonstrates the disruptive mechanisms of reading/seeing queerly.
