This after finding out he was in a relationship with a man.
A young man in Kolkata, India has been subjected to physical and mental abuse after his family found out he was gay and living with another man.
The India Times reports that the young man, whom they refer to as “Sanjoy,” is in his early twenties and lives with his partner.
According to Sanjoy, when his parents discovered that he was in a serious same-sex relationship, they hired a group of local men to harass and assault him.
The young man first reported the abuse to Koninika Roy, an advocacy manager at The Humsafar Trust, a leading LGBT organization in India.
Roy told the Times that Sanjoy’s parents forced him to go to a doctor for treatment, but that the medical professional said there was nothing wrong with him and explained to the family that being gay was totally natural.
Unconvinced, his parents suggested that “corrective rape” might help him to be straight. Thankfully, there’s no evidence to suggest that Sanjoy was sexually assaulted.
“Violence against the LGBTQ community is extremely common in India. Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code and the fact that same sex behavior is criminalized in the country means that homosexuals cannot live freely,” said Roy.
“The story of this gay couple is just one of the examples of how the LGBTQ community is treated in India.”
“The pain is real, the hardships loom large, the tears are red and at times you feel low enough not to live or breathe anymore because there doesn’t feel a point in doing so,” Sanjoy’s partner wrote in a statement.
He went on to say that though the family managed to keep them apart for a few days, they are now happily back together and stronger than ever.
“Love kept us strong and our mental strength added to the fuel of won’t-be-giving up attitude… We are living together as for now with nothing but each other.”
In 2013, India’s Supreme Court recriminalized homosexuality when it reinstated Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, a law established in the 1860s prohibiting all “carnal intercourse against the order of nature.”
Under the law, any individual caught engaging in homosexual activity can face upwards of 10 years in prison. Though efforts have been made to lift the ban, the nation’s government remains committed to keeping it in place.
