LGB or LGBT? CJI's woke comment | Wokeism#16

“There is no absolute concept of a man or an absolute concept of a woman at all. It's not the question of what your genitals are. It's far more complex.” that is a quote by the Chief Justice of India, Dr. Chandrachud. The statement was made during the trial on Same-Sex Marriage. For someone who does not follow these debates about sexuality, the comment might look strange or maybe even related to the topic. But the comment by the CJI is not only out of context but is an anti-LGB comment from the abbreviation LGBTQ( Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer).

 

 

 

LGBTQ abbreviation itself is a word-to-word adoption of a Western and particularly American phrase that has developed and evolved in American society. Nevertheless, let us understand the meaning of the abbreviation. LGBTQ stands for all Sexual orientations as well as Sexualities mentioned above. LGB ie. Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual stand for people who have those particular sexual orientations. Important to note that these three letters do not represent sexuality at all, they represent sexual orientation exclusively. The latter part of the abbreviation represents various Sexualities, ie. Transgender, Queer, and the new additions of IA+, etc. These two are not necessarily correlating with each other. The term LGBTQIA+ evolved in the US as a political term to unite the ‘minority’ against the Christian religious fundamentalists who opposed these sexual orientations as well as those sexualities. The Religious groups and the elected leaders in the US did not give equal rights to all of them for a very long time. That is why these groups of people with different sexual orientations as well as Sexualities were united under one banner and under one abbreviation of LGBT at first and then later kept growing to LGBTQIA+ etc. Similarly in the UK, BAME is an abbreviation that stands for Black, Asia, and Minority Ethnic. Again a political abbreviation evolved in the UK to unite Black, Asian, and minority ethnic communities who do not have almost anything in common. As foreign and outlandish as BAME is to Indian political discourse, LGBTQ would be to the Indian political and cultural discourse.

 

Also Read: The Social Impact of #SameSexMarriage 

 

Now, let's come back to the CJI’s comment. That comment insulted those LGB communities, who are proud of their sexuality and prefer same-sex partners to heterosexual partners. The comment suggests that you do not have a right to be an LGB and that your sexual orientation is nothing but confusion or delusion based on the fact that your Sexuality is different from the genitals that you have and hence your sexual orientation is different. Whereas the Same-Sex marriage case is about the LGB community demanding their right to get married. CJI’s comment does a huge disservice to the case by suggesting that their sexual orientation is merely a confusion due to their ‘wrong’ sexuality. The comment addresses a microscopic minority of activists based mainly in the US and in the West who peddle the agenda of Trans rights in a confrontational manner. Hence the comment was condemned by a large section of society in India.

Also Read: #SameSexMarriage : Drushti Stree Adhyayan Prabodhan Kendra conducts survey, ask people to join 

 

The CJI seems to have made the above comment directly from the woke Queer Theory playbook where sex is a physical aspect and gender is a psychological aspect. According to this and other ideologies currently rampant in the West, one has to recognize another person not based on biology, but based on the ‘lived experience’ of that person. For example, if a biological male ‘feels’ like a female, society has to accept him as a female. This ‘lived experience’ theory has reached such levels in the West that people who do not subscribe to this are being branded as transphobic/bigot/perpetrators of violence to these people.

 

 

A person ‘selected’ to hold one of the most important Constitutional duties in India is expected to exercise a ‘scientific temper’ enshrined in the very constitution. CJI’s comment during the hearing must have shocked people who are students, practitioners, and experts in science/biology. These unwarranted and unscientific comments coming from the top-most judicial person raise questions regarding the capability of that person to head a very responsible post. Perhaps, the CJI would have got thunderous applause if he were to be a professor of gender studies at a university in the US. This comment from the CJI is a big blow to the rationality practiced and expected to be practiced by one and all by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, who is considered to be the architect of the Constitution of India. Sitting on the huge pile of 69,000 pending cases (as of 1st Feb 2023), constructing gender-neutral toilets, lecturing people at media conclaves, and looking forward to summer holidays, the CJI, by his comments seems to have pleased the colonial masters or gora sahibs for seeking their validation regarding the gender issues. Is the CJI hungry for international recognition as a hero/champion of diversity, inclusiveness, and equality?

Disclaimer: We are neither for nor against Same-Sex marriage.