Nowadays I see a lot of people on social media, posting pictures and poetry about gay love and equality. There are many people who are promoting and advocating true homoerotic occurrence, and it’s simply incredible.

Many opponents claim that this inundation of gay love and equality campaign is part of westernization of the Pakistani society. Nothing could be farther from truth than such claims. People who make such claims need to have a reality check. I am gay and I can trace the heirloom of gay love to time immemorial. People of east (especially the Indian subcontinent) have had long history of homoerotic relationships. Who can deny the famed erotic relationship between the great conqueror Mahmud of Ghazni and his male slave Ayaz? It will be time consuming to mention other historic events of homoerotic bonding. Those within the Muslim society who deny such occurrences need lessons in history.

I would like to narrate first hand a childhood experience of mine, when I was not yet aware of the word “Gay”. A female relative of mine, who was a school teacher and was unmarried, used to live with her friend in their separate house. Her friend too had not married. We would often visit them and I remember both of them being so kind that I used to fall in love with their politeness and courteousness. Their neighbors seemed okay with their lifestyle as well. Everybody thought that the two ladies are living together, nothing else!

Now when I became aware of my sexuality and look back upon that time, I can say without any shadow of doubt that they both were in love with each other. Both of them might not have known whether they are lesbian or homosexual or whatever – because love doesn’t need any labels, it just flows the way it is.

Gay love and same-sex erotic behaviors are integral part of every human society. It has existed since the first day and it will exist forever because love is stubborn and we humans are determined to learn how to love instead of hate, hate and hate.

Haider