Rajesh Sakthivel, India
India is a very traditional country where a majority are following the Hindu religion. They don’t accept gays and lesbians. They don’t think they’re cultured, and they think they’re irresponsible. You can’t even say the word gay around people, they’ll get angry. Even families will disown people if they find out their relatives are homosexual.
While I was doing my bachelor degree I was staying in a hostel and was sharing a room with another guy. After some time, we had an intimate sexual moment and it was then that I learned I was gay. When the situation happened, the other guy’s family found out and they got very angry. The guy eventually married a woman but despite this, we continued our sexual relationship.
I eventually got outed and almost immediately after, some guys were sent to beat me. They fractured my ribs and it was hard to breathe. I went to the hospital and and also spoke with the police but they threatened to castrate me and then put me in jail for two days.
After this incident I moved to Gujurat, another province. The gang that assaulted me found me and threatened to kill me. I came back home to Chennai and knew that it was unsafe for me anywhere in India.
I spoke to someone about my situation and got a visa to come to Canada. I got here in 2018 and feel free. I’ve applied for refugee status and my hearing is coming up.
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Radha is a Toronto-based artist who was born in Ingushetia and raised in Germany. Aside from photography she also enjoys being an actor, a writer, and designer.