In Mumbai, 50 per cent of men are bisexual

Designer diary: Is it a crime to be gay?

It was raining cats and dogs when a gay friend of mine called and asked, "Do you have a white chiffon sari?"

It was raining cats and dogs when a gay friend of mine called and asked, "Do you have a white chiffon sari?" to which I replied, "Yes, I do in my workshop, but why?" He said, "I want to wear it in the rain and sing, Aaj rapat jaye toh ... (the sexy song picturised on Amitabh Bachchan and the late Smita Patil in the classic Hindi film, Namak Halal). To which I replied, "Are you mad? In a country where 87 per cent of people are homophobic, somebody or the other will definitely shoot you down like the unfortunate and shocking Orlando shoot out, where the killer's father claimed that his son was just homophobic and so he killed 50 innocent people."

My friend replied, "Don't worry about me, trust me, in Mumbai, 50 per cent of men are bisexual and the other half are either gay or straight." After hearing this, I laughed and said, "I agree." He said, he has to deal with only 25 per cent of men. On the other hand, all the women love him and always ask him for tips on how to dress up and what make-up to wear. He added, "Why do people make it so convenient when it's not a part of their family and it's okay, if it's someone else's problem and as long as they don't have to deal with it. Why does everyone shove it under the carpet like it's a sin?"

I thought about it for a second and replied that if people teach their kids what's right and wrong and whether it's natural to be gay, then we would not have to confront these kind of issues. Because it's only peer pressure, ignorance and lack of sensitivity that make homophobia even more rampant. My friend replied, "I thank my stars that I have a friend like you, who accepts me for what and who I am." As I wiped a tear trickling down my cheek, I stopped to think to myself, "Is it really a crime to be gay?"