Reconciliation of Indian rainbow parents: The transition of psyche from denial to pride

Despite the legal recognition of decriminalising same-sex marriages, Indian parents struggle to unlearn the constructed norm of heteronormativity. Parents often experience significant psychological distress when learning about their children’s Queer identities. The Indian cultural unconscious constantly police their psyche to reject any traces of deviation from the norm. Sudhir Kakkar, an Indian psychoanalyst extensively discusses the impact of culture on the Indian psyche, mirroring their understanding of sexuality. The present research attempted to analyse the major concerns of Indian rainbow parents, followed by examining how the cultural unconscious and the Indian self of parents operate through a lens of cultural psychology. It further enquired about possible measures to redefine their understanding of Indian sexuality. The research employs a qualitative approach in which information is collected through online descriptive questionnaires filled out by Indian rainbow parents. Later, the collected information was analysed through the lens of Sudhir Kakkar's cultural psychology to trace the transition of their psyche from denial to pride in real-time.