“Marriage takes place between a man and a woman. But you might have come across media reports of late about marriage between a man and man, woman and woman.  The law has accepted that now. There could be nothing more barbaric than this. Law is supporting this barbarism. So do a few people in the society,” Duraimurugan remarked, apparently, decrying the recent verdict of the Supreme Court striking down a few provisions of Section 377.

The DMK treasurer, who is also Deputy Leader of Opposition, has struck a chord with his AIADMK counterparts who also termed homosexuality “unnatural” and accepted the apex court verdict under compulsion. Notably, almost all political parties in the state, including the DMK and its parent party Dravidar Kazhagam have treaded cautiously on the issue. DMK president MK Stalin has not been quite vocal on the SC verdict decriminalising same sex relationship. 

Surprisingly, DMK’s parent party Dravidar Kazhagam which has been supporter of LGBT community and their rights so far has preferred to remain mute on Duraimurugan’s rant. When asked, DK president K Veeramani not only refused to react to the DMK treasurer’s ‘barbaric’ comment, but even denied a comment on the issue of homosexuality.

Sunil Menon, an activist from the LGBTQIA+ community, who is a fashion choreographer, says in response to Duraimurugan’s comments, “First of all, everyone is getting this law completely wrong. 377 is about recognising that two consenting adults can be with each other in the privacy of their own space irrespective of gender. It is not about gay marriage. The clarity we need is that this law was archaic and impinged in human rights of lqbtqia individuals.”

He adds, “This is the first step in accepting LGBTQ individuals in the country and decriminalising our status. There is panic because the younger generation of LGBTQ have been voicing concerns about marriage and adoption. What we need to acknowledge is that this (decriminalisation of 377) is the first step towards our freedom. Scaremongering is taking place in the larger society with people and politicians voicing concerns about what this law will do.”