A study on the impact of media portrayal and judicial intervention in changing social attitudes toward same-sex marriages in India

Abstract

 At the global level, across cultures, the social imagination of sexual identities has undergone a radical change. However, social and legal acceptance of same-sex marriage has remained a contested terrain. While it has obtained legal acceptance in several countries, same-sex marriage continues to be a social taboo in many parts of the globe, including India. Following the legalization of same-sex marriage by nations like the US, Sweden, Belgium, New Zealand and Canada, the sexual minority communities have intensified their campaign demanding the legal recognition of same-sex marriages in India as well. The present study analyzes the impact of media representation and construction of same-sex relations and the role of the judiciary in changing the social attitude towards accepting same-sex marriage. The study employed a survey method to understand how media representation and legal interpretations have impacted people’s perception towards same-sex marriages and to find out what roles media portrayal and judicial decisions can play in reducing stigma and social dissociation towards the marital rights of the sexual minority.