RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said LGBTQ+ individuals have always been a part of Indian society and should be treated with dignity and acceptance rather than being excluded.
Addressing an event in Hyderabad, Bhagwat said Indian traditions have historically recognised such communities and provided them with a place in society.
"LGBTQ+ and all these communities exist. Such tendencies are present in society. Some are innate, determined by nature itself. That is simply how they were born. Some are acquired later due to mindset or physical inclinations," he said.
Bhagwat stressed that members of the LGBTQ+ community should not be ostracised. "Our tradition acknowledges their existence. They are human beings too and have a right to live. They are not ostracised from society; there is a place for them within the vast tapestry of social life," he said.
He added that Indian society has traditionally approached such communities with compassion rather than prejudice. "Even today, they have their own deities, shrines and Mahamandaleshwars who participate in the Kumbh Mela," he said.
According to Bhagwat, Indian society has long dealt with the issue quietly while recognising these communities as an integral part of the social fabric and treating them with empathy.
NOT HIS FIRST COMMENT ON LGBTQ+ ISSUES
This is not the first time Bhagwat has expressed his views on homosexuality and the LGBTQ+ community.
In an interview with an RSS-affiliated magazine in January 2023, he had said, "LGBTQ+ people should have their own private and social space as they are humans and have the right to live as others."
Referring to Hindu scriptures and mythology, he argued that Indian civilisation has historically accommodated such communities instead of excluding them.
India decriminalised consensual same-sex relationships in 2018 after striking down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. However, same-sex marriage and several other rights sought by LGBTQ+ groups are yet to receive legal recognition.
Bhagwat has also previously described homosexuality as a social reality that should not be sensationalised. Speaking at a book launch in October 2019, he cited figures such as Shikhandi from the Mahabharata to underline that gender and sexual diversity have long existed in Indian society.
At the time, he said that "making an issue out of it will not help" and emphasised that society must evolve with changing times.
RSS'S POSITION ON HOMOSEXUALITY
Bhagwat's latest remarks are broadly consistent with the RSS's position that LGBTQ+ individuals should not face discrimination, although the organisation has maintained a cautious approach on issues such as same-sex marriage.
In 2023, the RSS welcomed the Supreme Court's decision not to grant legal recognition to same-sex marriage.
"The Supreme Court's decision on same-sex marriage is worth welcoming. Our democratic parliamentary system can seriously discuss all the issues related to this and take appropriate decisions," RSS spokesperson Sunil Ambekar had said.
Following the Supreme Court's 2018 verdict decriminalising consensual same-sex relations between adults, the RSS had said it agreed that such relationships should not be treated as a criminal offence, while continuing to describe same-sex relationships as "unnatural."
"We are of the same view as the Supreme Court that sex between members of the same gender is not a crime," RSS spokesperson Arun Kumar had said after the 2018 judgment.
