LGBT community members become targets of extortion & blackmail

After decriminalisation of section 377, by the Supreme Court in September 2018, 45 cases by the members of LGBT community were registered with the Mumbai based Humsafar Trust. Maximum cases reported are of harassment by family members, and of the 45 cases 12 cases are where victim complained that the accused threatened to reveal their sexuality to the world.

Till March, the Humsafar Trust chronicled the cases; barring 14, rest are from Mumbai and nearby areas, three cases are from Pune, and others from Nashik, Aurangabad, Ahmedabad, Varanasi, Jaipur etc.

Shockingly of the total cases, nine cases are related to the online dating application, Grindr. The victims sought help from The Humsafar Trust regarding the harassment they were facing. They were threatened of being called out, some were even blackmailed. In one case the accused had leaked their pictures on other social media sites. In another instance, a Santacruz resident complained of screenshots of his Grindr profile and chats being shared. Similarly another complainant claimed that he was outed on social media by a person he met on Grindr.

The number of cases reported to the Trust of harassment by family members stands at the highest of 10. In one of the cases, a victim from Bhayander complained of harassment and threat from his sister. In another case, a family forced conversion therapy on their child. They also spiked his food. Many have even run away because of harrassment or homophobic parents. One of victim complained that he was denied inheritance in the property because of his sexuality.

About seven harassment cases by exes or partners were also reported by the Trust. Most partners also have involved themselves in either outing the victim to their families or to their partners (wife). Some even threatened suicide.

In the list, five cases are where friends and neighbours have caused trouble. This includes a friend who had borrowed money from the Koparkhariane victim. He refused to return the amount and instead threatened to out him to family. Most friends and neighbour cases were also about outing to victim's sexuality. Four cases that came up were about workplace harassment.

Koninika Roy, advocacy officer at The Humsafar Trust said, "There has been a surge in extortion and blackmail cases. We handle cases of discrimination and violence against the community members. Some were threatened of outing sexuality or HIV status. We also saw a rise of lesbian couples running away from across India. This documentation of cases are of those who directly approached us in Mumbai."

CASES REPORTED

• The number of cases reported to the Trust of harassment by family members stands at the highest of 10. 
   
• About 7 harassment cases by exes or partners were also reported by the Trust. 
   
• 5 cases are where friends and neighbours have caused trouble.