No,Minister

Farooq Abdullah,the minister for new and renewable energy,expressed his concern for the declining sex ratio by saying that the day is not far when there will be “no girls to marry” and men will “all become gays”. The statement,made at the India Water Forum in Delhi,on Thursday,has upset several members of the gay community. “A silly and misinformed statement. I would not go as far as to say its anti-gay but it’s ridiculous that he has chosen to highlight something connected to violence against women by focusing on its implications on mens’ lives. This is a very macho statement that couches a lack of concern for women’s lives,seeing it only as a loss for men in the future,” says Queer historian and activist Mario Depinah.

The latest Census figures have caused widespread concerns. In 2001,there were 927 female children under six years for every 1,000 male children of the same age. In 2011,this dropped to 914 females for every 1,000 males. At the same time,these numbers have no co-relation with homosexuality. Ashok Row Kavi,Chair of the Humsafar Trust,who is currently working with the United Nations,says,“We all know about the gender imbalance because of female foeticide in India. To connect that with a direct impact on male sexuality is rather far-fetched. It is sad that politicians can talk so irresponsibly,” he says. “What is alarming is that Abdullah is more bothered about ‘gayness’ than the declining sex ratio and his statement shows a latent homophobia,” adds Pramada Menon,a queer feminist activist.