THE CONCEPT OF HOMOSOCIALISM

Semantically, the term ‘homosocialism’ has links with homosociality, which implies the non-sexual same-sex bonding that the LGBTQIA+ community frequently uses as an alibi to deflect suspicion about its orientation. Thus, the sight of men holding hands on the streets, or walking with their arms around each other’s shoulders and waists, which passes for yaari or friendship in the heterosexist mainstream, may actually be an indication of gayness. This is also culture-specific: it is much less likely to work as an alibi in the West than it is in India and the Far East.

The concept of homosocialism, however, the way I conceive it, is political. Homosocialism resists and rejects the capitalist idea of the Pink Economy attributed to the LGBTQIA+ community. The term ‘pink economy’ refers to the highly disposable incomes that members of the LGBTQIA+ community, especially gay men, are supposed to have, possibly because we have no families to raise and households to run? Thus, all our accumulated wealth is believed to be at our disposal to splurge on lifestyle, which may include, among other things, the buying of homes and holiday homes, the buying of supercars and superbikes, the buying of fancy sartorial apparel, and splurging on foreign jaunts in business class with our sugar-dads and/or sugar-sons. But this is a reductive way of viewing things. It gives the erroneous impression that there are no poor and middle-class folk in the queer community, and it buys into the stereotype of out-of-the-closet gayness being a luxury that only rich, perverted, westernized Indians can afford.

Now this is far from the truth. There is no necessary correlation between being wealthy and being out of the closet, although there may be a correlation between being university-educated and being out of the closet. Besides, being in the closet does not make members any the lesser part of the community than coming out of it. The closet isn’t sacrosanct; it is merely a process. Those in the closet today will inevitably be out of the closet tomorrow, as laws and mindsets change.  

Homosocialism, then, necessitates the pooling of community resources to be held by and for the welfare of the community in the form of cash money, savings bank accounts, mutual funds, fixed deposits, and so on. Members may contribute according to their mite, but contribute everyone should. The contributions may be administered by registered support groups or queer co-operatives which exist in many towns and cities. Homosocialism, needless to say, must operate on trust and accountability.

Of course, homosocialism would require a measure of sacrifice and rational thinking among community members. We need to be weaned away from the lure of rainbow corporates, who in the garb of sponsoring our pride walks, are all too ready to dump their worthless merchandize on us. We must stop being impulsive buyers. We must stop wanting to be influencers on social media.

The ’crowd-funding’ that homosocialism would entail would be of yeoman service to community members. One can instantly think of the following areas where the resources can beneficially be put to use:

HOUSING

Many in the LGBTQIA+ community are ostracized by their own families. They are cruelly thrown out of their houses, all in the name of family honour, and once word gets round about their deviance, they may find it difficult to get rental accommodation anywhere. Those in the community who identify as hijras have the option of joining hijra gharanas, but the rest in the community do not have any such option. It is here that the concept of homosocialism can come to their aid. Support groups can help them find accommodation in queer-friendly spaces, and, assuming they must start from scratch, wholly or partially subsidize their lease. This will ensure that the victims have a roof over their head.

LITIGATION

In spite of a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court reading down Section 377 of the former Indian Penal Code to exclude consenting adult LGBTQIA+ persons from its purview in September 2018, cases still exist where families and institutions, in complete ignorance and violation of the law, persecute community members. This happened, for example, in Aligarh Muslim University in 2010, where a professor was dismissed from his job and thrown out of his campus flat for having consensual homosexual sex with an adult cycle-rickshaw rider. At the time of the incident, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code had already been read down by the Delhi High Court the previous year. Yet the professor was victimized. At such times, the concept of homosocialism can help victims file cases in appropriate courts, and help them bear litigation costs.

HEALTH CARE

The LGBTQIA+ community have always been susceptible to stigmatized infections like venereal disease, HIV and AIDS. No insurance company covers any of these infections in their list of claimable ailments. The reason is obvious. These infections are supposed to be brought on by patients on account of their own immoral conduct. They must thus suffer the consequences of their actions. At one time, HIV and AIDS treatments were so prohibitively expensive that they were out of reach of most in the community. That is why there were so many AIDS-related deaths all over the world. Today, the situation isn’t so bad, but there are still many who can only afford treatments in malfunctioning government hospitals. Homosocialism can come to the rescue of such patients by directing them to well-equipped private clinics and paying for their treatment.

Again, many in the LGBTQIA+ community suffer from mental health problems caused by self-inflicted homophobia, guilt, anxiety and depression. Often this makes them suicidal. Mental health is yet another stigmatized area in India. Homosocialism can provide the necessary counselling and resources to such individuals, and direct them to trained and qualified doctors and psychologists who can effectively cure them.  

EMPLOYMENT

There are enough cases where community members, even if otherwise qualified and competent, may find it difficult to land suitable jobs on account of their sexuality. The transgender community, including the hijra community, are a case in point. Invariably, their gender dysphoria works against their interests. Words like inclusivity and­ diversity amount to little more than tokenism. Merely employing a couple of transmen or transwomen in one’s firm to show that one is inclusive hardly solves the problem. Homosocialism as a concept can help unemployed community members to tide over the crisis by providing them the means of sustenance until they are gainfully employed, besides assisting them in finding the right kinds of jobs.