Homosexuality in India
印度的同性爱
Glad to be gay (but a bit shy about it)
我爱同性也含羞
Jul 3rd 2008 | DELHI
From The Economist print edition
Where Victorian values and repressive laws still hold
在印度，维多利亚时代的价值观念和社会准则、严厉的法律影响仍不减
Out of the closet, at least 出柜吧，至少出柜
THERE were no half-naked dancers, pink floats, or sailor boys locked in clinches; but India’s gay-pride parade was ground-breaking enough without them. Several hundred men and women, waving rainbow flags, danced, stamped and sang their way through the city centres of Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata (Calcutta) on June 29th-the first such national event in this conservative country. The parade was lent a uniquely Indian flavour by flamboyant cross-dressing hijras, known as eunuchs, although many modern hijras are gay men who feel alienated by mainstream society. Though hijras, once trusted courtiers of the Mughal emperors, have a well-established identity in India, gay men and women do not; indeed the practice of homosexuality is illegal, punishable with ten years’ imprisonment.
虽然没有半裸的舞者、粉红的花车或者绑在一起的水手，但是印度的同性恋自豪大游行依然具有开创性的意义。6月29日，上百名男女，挥舞着彩虹旗，载歌载舞地穿过德里、班加罗尔、加尔各答市的中心。这是印度这个保守国度里第一次全国范围内发生这样的事。这次游行带有不同一般的印度特色–易装而打扮艳丽的”海吉拉”（译者注：也称”希吉拉”）。海吉拉，即人们所知的阉人–虽然现代很多海吉拉只是那些感觉被主流社会排斥的男同性恋者。曾被信任而作为莫卧儿帝王侍臣的海吉拉在印度已经拥有一个很稳定的身份了，但是男同性恋与女同性恋却没有；实际上，任何同性恋行为都是非法的，会被判处十年的监禁。
Many of those who paraded under heavy monsoon clouds in Delhi said one of their main motives was to campaign for the repeal of that law, Section 377 of India’s penal code, which deems homosexuality an “unnatural sexual offence” alongside bestiality. They say the section, drawn up 150 years ago by the British, is today routinely used by the police to harass and blackmail homosexuals, even if few are arrested. Delhi’s High Court is currently weighing a petition against Section 377 brought by an umbrella group of Indian NGOs. “I feel we’re living under the shadow of the Victorians,” shuddered one young man, as beside him a group of hijras in hot pink saris broke into Bollywood-style pelvic thrusts. He might have added that he was also living under the shadow of his mother, who, he feared, would soon start introducing him to suitable girls. “I suppose then I will have to come out.”
游行的队伍在厚厚的季风云下前行，队伍里的很多人说，他们游行的动机之一是致力于废止印度刑法第377条，此条款认定同性恋是一种”不正常的性别违法行为”，与人兽性行为列在一起。他们说这条由150年前英国人书写的条款在现在仍被警察用来骚扰、敲诈同性恋者，即使没有人真正被抓。德里的最高法院正在考虑一份反对377条的请愿书，该请愿书由许多个印度非政府组织共同提交。”我感觉我们仍生活在维多利亚时期的阴影之下，”一位年青人哆嗦着说道，正在他身旁一群穿着亮粉色纱丽的海吉拉突然跳起一个宝莱坞式的甩盆骨的舞蹈。他可能还会补充说他还生活在他母亲的阴影之下，他担心她可能很快会把他介绍给合适的女孩子。”我想我到时可能不得不出柜。”
Despite a burgeoning gay scene in India’s big cities, many Indian homosexuals worry more about exposure to their families and colleagues than about the law. “My brother knows; my mother doesn’t,” says Pankash, a 23-year-old year-old student who likes to be known as Tina when he goes on dates dressed as his glamorous alter ego. Though he was not incognito on Sunday, many of his fellow paraders were. Waving placards with slogans such as “Gay and loving it”, many still wore paper masks, lest they were “outed” on television.
尽管印度大城市里同性爱的景象越来越多，很多印度同性恋者相比较于担心法律更担心的是将身份暴露给家人和同事。”我的哥哥知道，我妈妈不知道，”潘卡沙说，他是一个23岁的学生，当他与他迷人的至友约会时会打扮得很有魅力，并被称作蒂娜。尽管他在星期天没有隐藏起身份，很多和他一样游行的人是要的。举着像”爱同性，爱自己”这样的标语不够，还有很多人要戴着纸面具，以防一不小心就在电视上出柜了。
译者：死海之果 http://www.ecocn.org/forum/viewthread.php?tid=12468&page=1&extra=page%3D1#pid79095