Colonization and Queerness in South Asia: Understanding Evolving Public Perceptions of Queer Identities in Pre- and Post-Colonial India

Ancient India has a strong history of accepting, highlighting, and celebrating queer identities, genders, homosexuality, and polyamory—often permanently commemorating these individuals in carvings, paintings, and other forms of art at Hindu temples and holy sites. Transgender, transexual, and homosexual gods are not only extremely popular, but also significant pillars of Hinduism and holy scriptures. As colonialism spread and the British Raj asserted more power over Indian culture, Western frameworks and definitions of “civil society” that mandated heteronormativity led to the outlawing of homosexuality under Section 377 of 1861. Although India gained independence in 1947, such discriminatory attitudes against queer people became embedded in Indian society and amplified over time—permanently altering the public’s perception and opinions on homosexuality. On September 6, 2018, the Indian Supreme Court ruling eradicated Section 377 and decriminalized queer sexual activities—a major advancement in the ongoing cultural decolonization of India and the growing LGBTQ+ rights social movements. These efforts are magnified by the growth of more queer characters in Bollywood movies and media and by creating spaces to openly discuss queerness in a socially acceptable manner. Advancing queer rights in India is part of the larger structural decolonization of the Western norms that were forcibly embedded in society through colonialism, and