Debunking Common Myths About LGBTQI+ Identities in India

Every time a conversation about LGBTQI+ people happens in India, it is almost inevitably followed by a familiar set of claims: “This is against our culture,” “They must be mentally ill,” or “It’s dangerous to raise children around them.” These statements sound certain, but they don’t hold up to historical evidence or scientific scrutiny. Misinformation about sexual orientation and gender identity causes real harm – it fuels discrimination, pushes people out of families, and has been used to justify violence. This post examines three major categories of myths about LGBTQI+ identities in the Indian context and replaces them with what the evidence actually shows.

Myth: LGBTQI+ identities are “western” and against Indian culture 🔗

This is arguably the most pervasive myth in India, and it is also the most historically inaccurate. The claim that homosexuality and gender diversity are imported western ideas conveniently ignores a wealth of pre-colonial Indian history.

LGBTQ people are well documented in ancient Indian artworks and literary works, with evidence that homosexuality and gender diversity were acknowledged – and in many cases accepted – by major dharmic traditions long before any western contact. Hindu mythology itself contains references to same-sex unions and fluid gender identities. The Narada Smriti, an ancient Sanskrit text, lists 14 different types of sexual orientations, including terms for transgender individuals, intersex people, and three categories of homosexual men. The Sabda-kalpa-druma, a Sanskrit dictionary, catalogs 20 types of sexualities.

The Kamasutra – a 2nd century text that most Indians take considerable national pride in – dedicates an entire chapter to same-sex love. The chapter “Purushayita” in the Kamasutra refers to lesbian women as “swarinis,” noting that they often married other women and raised children together. Gay men are discussed in the chapter “Auparishtaka,” with specific terminology for different sexual roles. This is not fringe history – it is mainstream classical scholarship.

Erotic sculptures depicting homosexual acts are carved into some of India’s most celebrated temple architecture. The Khajuraho temple sculptures, built in the 700s, and the Sun Temple in Konarak, built in the 1200s, both contain such depictions openly. These temples are national heritage sites, not sources of shame.

Where did the stigma actually come from? 🔗

The historical record is clear: the criminalization of same-sex relations was not native to India. Scholars believe that discrimination against homosexuality was largely imported through Islamic rule and the Christian-derived morality of European colonialism, with the British codifying it in law. In 1861, under British rule, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code was introduced, criminalizing sexual activities “against the order of nature” – a framing directly influenced by Catholic doctrine holding that non-procreative sex was sinful.

This is a critical point: the law that India fought for over a century to repeal was itself a colonial imposition. It was finally struck down by the Supreme Court of India on 6 September 2018, when consensual homosexual activity between adults was decriminalized. The argument that LGBTQI+ identities are “un-Indian” is not just inaccurate – it inverts the actual history, attributing what was a foreign colonial attitude to India’s own ancient tradition.

Stereotypes and misinformation about LGBTQI+ people 🔗

Beyond the cultural argument, LGBTQI+ individuals in India – as elsewhere – face a set of persistent stereotypes about how they look, think, and live. These stereotypes are not just inaccurate; they are actively damaging.

Myth: You can identify LGBTQI+ people by their appearance or mannerisms 🔗

This belief – that gay men are necessarily effeminate or that lesbian women are necessarily masculine – has no factual basis. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual people come in as many different shapes, appearances, and personalities as heterosexual people do. Gender expression and sexual orientation are entirely separate dimensions of identity. A person’s mannerisms, clothing choices, or voice do not indicate their sexual orientation. The assumption that they do leads to the targeting and harassment of people who do not fit narrow gender norms – including many straight people – while also invisibilizing LGBTQI+ individuals who present in more conventionally gendered ways.

Myth: Being LGBTQI+ is a mental illness 🔗

This myth was once given institutional weight, but the science has long since moved on. Being LGBTQI+ is not a mental illness or disorder, a position held consistently by the American Psychological Association, the World Health Organization, and virtually every major health body globally.

In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) after a thorough review of scientific evidence. The World Health Organization followed in 1990, removing homosexuality from the ICD-10. These were not political decisions – they were the result of accumulated scientific research showing that same-sex attraction does not cause psychological impairment or distress in and of itself.

The distinction matters: while LGBTQI+ individuals do experience higher rates of depression and anxiety, this is not caused by their sexual orientation or gender identity, but by the discrimination, stigma, and rejection they face from families, institutions, and society. The problem is external prejudice – not internal pathology. Treating LGBTQI+ identities as disorders, including through so-called “conversion therapy,” has been thoroughly discredited and is known to cause significant psychological harm.

Myth: Being LGBTQI+ is a “lifestyle choice” 🔗

Sexual orientation is not a choice in the way that choosing a career or a hairstyle is. Scientific data indicate that sexual orientation is biologically influenced, shaped by factors such as genetics and brain development during early life. Research on twins shows a genetic component to homosexuality, and studies point to hormonal influences during fetal development. No single “gay gene” has been identified, but the broader picture is one of biological variation – similar to how many complex human traits develop.

Asking a gay person “when did you choose to be gay?” is as meaningful as asking a straight person “when did you decide to be attracted to the opposite sex?” Most people report that their orientation was simply something they came to recognize, not something they selected. There is also no definable gay “lifestyle” – LGBTQI+ individuals belong to every ethnic group, religion, profession, and socioeconomic background, just as heterosexual people do.

Family, upbringing, and the myth of danger 🔗

Some of the most harmful myths about LGBTQI+ people center on children – either the claim that same-sex parents damage their children, or the deeply dangerous accusation that LGBTQI+ individuals pose a threat to minors.

Myth: Same-sex parents harm children’s development 🔗

The research on this question has been examined extensively. A review of the social science literature prepared for the American Sociological Association concluded that children in same-sex parent households fare just as well as those in different-sex parent households across a wide array of well-being measures, including academic performance, cognitive development, social development, and psychological health.

The American Psychological Association’s research resolution affirms that family processes – the quality of parenting and family relationships – are more important to child outcomes than the sexual orientation of the parents. Loving, stable, involved parenting produces well-adjusted children, regardless of whether those parents are heterosexual or LGBTQI+.

A related concern is that children raised by LGBTQI+ parents will themselves become LGBTQI+. Even if this were true, it would not constitute harm – but it is also not how sexual orientation works. Sexual orientation is not learned or transmitted through exposure; it develops through complex biological processes that are not shaped by parental identity.

Myth: LGBTQI+ people are a danger to children 🔗

This myth, which falsely links homosexuality with pedophilia, is not only scientifically baseless but is one of the most damaging accusations leveled at LGBTQI+ people. Sexual attraction to children is not homosexuality – it is pedophilia, which is a separate psychiatric disorder entirely. LGBTQI+ people have the same protective instincts toward children as anyone else.

Research by Professor Gregory Herek at the University of California, Davis, a leading researcher on prejudice against sexual minorities, found no evidence that gay men molest children at higher rates than heterosexual men. The Child Molestation Research and Prevention Institute has reported that 90% of child molesters target children in their existing social network, and the large majority are men in relationships with women. The myth of LGBTQI+ people as predators is not a concern rooted in evidence – it is a tool of stigmatization.

Myth: Parenting or upbringing causes someone to be LGBTQI+ 🔗

Parents are often told – or come to believe – that something they did caused their child to be gay or transgender. This leads to enormous guilt and to attempts to “fix” the child. A child’s sexual orientation is not caused by parenting, peer pressure, or religious upbringing – just as parents cannot cause a child to be heterosexual, they cannot cause a child to be gay. What parental responses do affect, however, is the child’s wellbeing. Research consistently shows that LGBTQI+ youth whose families accept and support them have far better mental health outcomes than those who face rejection at home.

The stigma that LGBTQI+ individuals face in India – from families, workplaces, healthcare providers, and communities – is not a reflection of any inherent problem with their identities. It is a reflection of misinformation that has been layered over centuries of colonial influence and social conditioning. India’s own pre-colonial history offers a far more expansive and affirming picture of human sexuality than the one many people have inherited. Replacing myths with facts is not a western imposition – it is a return to a more accurate, and more humane, understanding of what Indian culture has historically been.

What do you think? Given that temple carvings and ancient Sanskrit texts openly documented diverse sexualities for centuries, why do you think so many people still believe that LGBTQI+ identities are foreign to Indian culture – and what role does education play in addressing that gap? If mental health struggles among LGBTQI+ individuals are caused by discrimination rather than identity itself, what does that tell us about where the real problem lies?

References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBTQ_history_in_India
2. https://www.vice.com/en/article/indian-history-mythology-queer-lgbtq/
3. https://www.thequint.com/opinion/homosexuality-rss-ancient-indian-culture-section-377
4. https://www.lawctopus.com/academike/history-of-homosexuality-in-india/
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_in_India
6. https://newsletter.sscbs.du.ac.in/a-brief-history-of-lgbtq-in-india/
7. https://case.edu/lgbt/workshops-and-training/safe-zone/sexual-orientation-myths-facts
8. https://mhanational.org/resources/lgbtq-communities-and-mental-health/
9. https://gaythrive.com/2025/what-are-gay-myths-with-science-and-facts/
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_and_psychology
11. https://www.strongfamilyalliance.org/parent-guides/parent-guide-gay/myths-that-stigmatize-lbgtq-people/
12. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4091994/
13. https://www.apa.org/about/policy/resolution-sexual-orientation-parents-children.pdf
14. https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/10-anti-gay-myths-debunked/