Mahinder Watsa
Mahinder Watsa was an Indian sexologist known for his sex columns in newspapers and magazines. His contributions to promote sex education in India earned him the 2014 Dr. Ved Vyas Puri Award.
‘I’m talking their language, they accept it better.’
It is uncomfortable because we created a paradox around it and it is us who is responsible to break that taboo or paradox.
How many of us are aware that India recognizes transgenders as the third gender in Indian law? In April 2014, KS Radhakrishnan granted legal recognition to transgenders as the third gender. The legalization of same-sex marriage happened in September 2018. The case was fought by a lawyer who also belonged to the LGBTQ community. The revolution which has taken place in terms of economy, and technology is immense and huge but still, the suffering of a myriad is high because of the unnecessary taboos our society holds.
Homosexuality. Among the paradox of taboos, homosexuality tops it. Sexuality is not only a constituent of humans, it also integrates with insects and animals. Genes play a vital role in sexuality and gender, which means sexuality is hereditary. A genome-wide association study is a research group that studies specific genetic variations to associate with a disease. The genome-wide association has found that 30% – 40% of a person’s sexual orientation is heritable, that is, as the determination of our height and weight from the genetic component. While many people argue that sexuality is chosen and not innate. This belief is the reason why conversion therapies exist. Conversion therapies believe in proselytizing the sexuality of a person, especially from gay/lesbian to straight. Homophobic people believe in the possibility of conversion whereas it is scientifically not possible. You cannot pray the gay away. If at all any conversion sessions have succeeded in proselytizing the sexuality of a person, the truth behind the change is not clear.
Homophobic people also integrate sexuality with religion. People belonging to the Christian religion think that being gay or lesbian is a sin and Jesus will never approve of it. These myths are subjective to the religion a person belongs to.
In India, virgin women until marriage were considered pure and unadulterated. But back then women were distressed in remote areas about losing their virginity before marriage. Dr. Watsa says, ‘This thing about the hymen being intact is very important in this part of the world.’ Though the evolution of the world happened, myths about virginity are still prevalent.
With this myth going around, the increase in child maltreatment is also rooting several mental illnesses. According to the study, a report of child abuse is made every ten seconds. The reason for this is inadequate education on sex. Sex education is not just a prompt about physical intercourse and reproduction. It is a spectrum that involves human sexuality, including intimate relationships, human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexually transmitted infections, sexual activity, sexual orientation, gender identity, abstinence, contraception, and reproductive rights and responsibilities. The education system is obliged to understand the importance of teaching what society thinks is taboo.
Dr. Mahinder Watsa being a sexologist, or a sex educationist helped people resolve their query with his newspaper column asking the sexpert if he was prone to numerous hate emails, spiteful messages, and more. This proves the conservative nature of human beings still being flinched with the word sex. When are we going to break the ice and create a genuine place for us and the future generation out there? Let’s start now by educating our children that sex is not a taboo but an essential part of our overall well-being.