In a shocking incident of slander in the capital, a group of unidentified men were on Wednesday booked for allegedly calling a 17-year-old boy 'gay', and later physically assaulting him and his kin in the capital's Shakarpur area on Sunday.The teenager, a student of class 12, was travelling with his father on Sunday when two men on a bike passed the homophobic slur. Terms like gay, faggot, homo and chikna are derogatory in nature and used to insult people who are perceived as queer or effeminate. When the boy protested, the accused argued with him but left after locals managed to pacify and calm the situation.
However, the two accused later returned to his father's shop with more men where the teenager, his brother and uncle were present. The men attacked them with stones and belts before making a run for it, said police. A case has been registered and the police are looking for the accused. While such issues are often treated as light humour and are ignored as being serious, more often than not, by authorities, homophobia is proving to be a growing evil. However, many youngsters have been taking effective measures to curb and spread awareness against this growing concern.
While growing up in a homophobic environment can take a huge toll both mentally and physically on young people who identify with the LGBTQ community or are confused about their sexuality, support that once did not exist now has advocates of all ages and statures promoting peace, harmony and pride.