Loving your own
Sexuality is a spectrum of which both heterosexuality and homosexuality are a part. But the mainstream world often discriminates against those who have a same-sex orientation. They find it difficult to accept themselves or find acceptance within their family structures. But there are some families, who have made the effort to overcome their prejudices and welcome diverse sexualities.
Bindumadhav Khire grew up in a conservative Maharashtrian family. It took him a long time to realize and accept that he is gay. He was even married off by his parents. But later, he came out to them. Although his father did not accept him, his mother went that extra step to understand her son's sexuality and then accept it. "I did not know what the word gay meant. I started reading about it and I came to know that there are many people in the world who are gay," she says. "Slowly I came to terms with it."
Nakshatra is a young man who grew up in Mumbai city and in a more cosmopolitan atmosphere. He always knew and accepted the fact that he was gay. "Unlike many of my friends, I did not want to hide the fact that I was gay," he says. His mother too some time to accept it. "I realized that I was just thinking about myself when he came out to us," says his mother Swati Bagwe. Although she doesn't fully understand her son, she accepts him because she loves him.
For Manisha, a transgendered person from Gujarat, acceptance never came easy. Despite rejection from her father, Manisha lives with her parents. She takes care of her mom and provides for the family as well. She has a good relationship with her mother. When Rajkumar Doshi and his wife came to know that their son is gay, they called and told him that they supported him. Shamit's mother says it best, "If parents don't support their children, then who will?"