A lesbian couple in India committed suicide on Monday by jumping into a local river. The two women left notes saying the world wouldn’t accept their relationship.
India’s lesbians still face stigma
A three year old child, belonging to one of the women, was also killed, according to local media reports.
The two women, 30-year old Asha Thakor and 28-year old Bhavna Thakor, lived in the western state of Gujarat. Their deaths have highlighted the stigma surrounding LGBT people in India.
Suicide notes highlighted intolerance
One of the suicide notes was scribbled in red lipstick onto a wall, near to where the two women leapt to their deaths.
‘We have left this world to live with each other,’ it read. ‘The world did not allow us to stay together, We did not have any men with us’.
A second message, written on a disposable plate, was found nearby.
‘This world did not allow us to stay together,’ it read. ‘When will we meet again? When will we meet…perhaps in the next birth we will meet again.’
The deaths are the latest in a country where the abuse of women and LGBT people remains rife.
Gay rights campaigner Anjali Gopalan, told Reuters news agency, who reported on the tragedy, that it was more common to hear about lesbians committing suicide than other members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
“They live a far worse life than gay men, a much tougher life, because there is largely more acceptance of male homosexuality,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
“Women’s sexuality is not discussed at all in India, making it much more challenging for them to come out.”
Photo: Screenshot from Twitter
Indian events group LGBTEventsIndia.com, tweeted a poignant reminder that, even during Pride month, LGBT people continue to face a daily struggle for acceptance.
See also
Need support? LGBTI helplines for those in crisis or seeking advice
