About the Author: Tanya Sharda is a Student of the OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat.
INTRODUCTION
For centuries, caste has been a social order in India and continues to have a tremendous influence on people’s lives across various contexts. Intimate relationships beyond caste boundaries are restricted by India’s caste system, which obscures the emotional reality of individuals from diverse backgrounds and distorts love and sexual desires.[1] Furthermore, when layers of marginalization are created between sexual identity and caste, influencing their desires, queer individuals in India face serious challenges, particularly for individuals belonging to marginalized castes. This paper argues that caste hierarchies have a profound impact on desire, intimacy, and queer experiences in India, restricting sexual choices and perpetuating societal injustices.
ENDOGAMY AND EMOTIONAL DISTORTIONS
Firstly, by imposing endogamy, the Indian caste system distorts intimacy and brings disparities and challenges. It restricts the connections that can be formed, which causes emotional and sexual distortions for oppressors as well as oppressed castes. In the past, endogamy used by the caste was a way to ensure control over intimacy so that relationships stayed within the caste limits, preserving caste purity. Inter-caste alliances remain subject to societal disapproval despite laws like the Special Marriage Act.[2] The wide differences caused by the caste system’s control over the desires of individuals have had a huge impact on sexual activity. Neither party can interact with the other with love and empathy due to the caste barriers, trapping people in a system that undermines their ability to form sincere relationships. The power imbalance in Indian society can be seen in the continuation of caste-based sexual fears, which highlights how deeply ingrained these distortions are.
PATRIARCHY, CASTE, AND GENDERED OPPRESSION
Secondly, the regulation of women’s bodies and the maintenance of social hierarchies are achieved through the interplay of patriarchal control and caste domination, which results in marginalized suffering and the dominant caste enjoying unlimited power. The caste system imposes endogamy, which extends to lower castes such as Chamars and Bhangis, who limit the sexual freedom of women to promote social mobility and masculinity.[3] The upper caste men who have greater access to women’s bodies abuse them by forbidding relationships between members of other castes and sexually abusing weaker caste women. [4] Moreover, Caste continues to influence sexual practices and desires, according to observations made recently, especially in rural areas.[5] The sexuality of rural women is often fetishized by NGO initiatives, which tend to overlook the socioeconomic factors that influence their lives.[6] The caste system continues to be a potent framework that governs intimacy and desires that serve to uphold gender inequality. Women of lower caste are stripped of their sexual autonomy when caste endogamy and sexual assaults are combined. Instead of eliminating caste distinctions, the upper caste perspective in NGOs isolates rural sexual behaviors. As a result, the caste’s control over intimacy and sexuality aggravates inequality and ruins relationships, limiting growth in social and personal spheres.
Moreover, according to Borisa, caste shapes ideals of attractiveness based on hierarchies within the caste system, influencing all forms of sexuality. For instance, upper-caste users publicly display their caste (e.g., ‘Jat’ or ‘Rajput’) on dating apps like Grindr. In contrast, lower-caste identities are hidden, and instead, they use upper-caste names to satisfy their desires.[7] This shows how caste influences individual desires while reinforcing exclusion within digital environments. It highlights that even in spaces that promote inclusivity, caste continues to shape the societal system of attractiveness, perpetuating long-standing disparities in the perception of attraction and relationships.
INTERSECTIONALITY OF QUEER DESIRE AND CASTE
Thirdly, the intersectionality of gay desire and caste complicates intimacy and relationship dynamics in India, particularly for queer Dalits who face intensified marginalization. Intimacy among the LGBTQ+ community is severely hampered by caste, which not only influences sexual relationships but also perpetuates a cycle of oppression that alters interpersonal dynamics and self-perception. Upper-caste individuals dominate LGBTQ+ spaces. [8] Ujithra and Sowjanya point out that Queer Dalits experience twin discrimination—exclusion based on both sexual identity and caste position. For instance, Gaurav has experiences where he has been asked to show his cleanliness before intimacy by his sexual partners, which reflects deeply ingrained preconceptions about Dalit bodies.[9] In a similar instance, Parikshit talks about how caste influenced his dating experiences on apps like Grindr, where he encountered overt casteism and disparaging comments when his caste was disclosed. In addition to being deeply impacted by social caste standards, LGBT Dalits’ desire is primarily personal, which results in a pre-constituted conception of intimacy that is fraught with shame and inequity.[10] The relationship between queer desire and caste dynamics reveals a deep connection that undermines the pursuit of intimacy. Caste influences desire, complicating relationships and putting obstacles in the way of love and connection. This highlights the need for an intersectional approach that considers the intricacies of gender, desire, and caste in modern-day India.
Moreover, Akhil Kang argues that caste and desire influence not only the sexual practices of marginalized communities but also the social and legal battles them. The intersection of caste, sexuality, and social transgressions, such as inter-caste relationships and non-heteronormative intimacy, challenges the ‘order of nature’ enforced by societal norms.[11] The experiences of marginalized groups like Dalits and transgender sex workers, who are frequently shunned by their families due to their identity and driven into sex work as a means of survival. Legal conflicts like the appeal against Section 377 demonstrate how the struggle for sexual autonomy, especially for LGBT and lower-caste people, is part of a larger campaign against social structures that seek to regulate breaches related to both sexuality and caste.[12] This demonstrates how caste and desire are closely regulated by society and legal structures. Findings from the Naz Foundation’s research on sex workers show how caste and intimacy intersect in the daily lives of transgender people because of their gender identity and caste. Their intimate behavior challenges the conventional notion that sex is only for reproduction or financial gain by expressing their desires. As mentioned in the criticism of Guruswamy and Katju’s strategy, the elimination of marginalized voices from court proceedings reflects the larger problem of caste and class-based exclusion, which persists even in groups that support LGBT rights. Caste not only determines what constitutes acceptable desire but also sustains social marginalization.
For many, caste functions as a monitoring and controlling mechanism that restricts their ability to enjoy their privacy, independence, and full expression as individuals. Lower-caste queers are frequently forced to conceal their identities by taking on the surnames, mannerisms, and personas of upper-caste people to function in environments of desire where caste determines merit. The internet provides a temporary shelter where they may shun their caste identities and adopt new ones. [13] To live in a society where their actual bodies and desires are viewed as inferior, lower-caste people are taught from a young age to display themselves in a way that is regarded as ‘cultured’ by upper-caste norms. Lower-caste people are forced to take on upper-caste personas and false identities to date or satisfy their desires. The disparity in queer venues, such as social media platforms like Facebook or online forums where homosexual men of upper caste look for partners from comparable caste backgrounds.
In Indian society, caste has a significant impact on sexuality, intimacy, and desire. It reinforces deeply ingrained social structures that marginalize people from lower castes, especially in LGBTQ+ communities. In addition to regulating sexual relationships, practices including endogamy, patriarchal control, and caste-based exclusion severely restrict sexual freedom. Caste remains a divisive factor that marginalizes Dalit identities and perpetuates societal injustices, even in environments that claim to be inclusive. Confronting and overcoming the caste’s widespread influence on desire and social interactions is essential to achieving an inclusive and egalitarian society.
References:
[1] Yogesh Maitreya, ‘When Caste Limits Love and Intimacy’ News Click (05 June 2023) <https://www.newsclick.in/when-caste-limits-love-and-intimacy> accessed 05 January 2025
[2] Ibid
[3] Charu Gupta, ‘Intimate Desires: Dalit Women and Religious Conversions in Colonial India’ (2014) 73(3) The Journal of Asian Studies <http://www.jstor.org/stable/43553340> accessed 6 January 2025
[4] Ibid
[5] Pallavi R, ‘Caste-ing Desire & Caste Bodies — Pt. 2: Sexual Pedagogies and the Brahmin Erotic Gaze’ (Medium, 27 October 2018) <https://pallavir.medium.com/caste-ing-desire-caste-bodies-pt-2-sexual-pedagogies-and-the-brahmin-erotic-gaze-8d467a358cb4> accessed 06 January 2025
[6] Ibid
[7] Nadia Nooreyezdan, ‘How Caste Has Always Shaped Desire, Desirability’ (The SWDL, 21 January 2019) <https://www.theswaddle.com/queeristan-panel-explores-how-caste-has-always-shaped-desire-desirability> accessed 06 January 2025
[8] Ujithra Ponniah and Sowjanya Tamalapakula, ‘Caste-ing Queer Identities’ (2020) 13(3) NUJS Law Review <https://nujslawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/13-3-Ponniah-Tamalapakula-Caste-ing-Queer-Identities.pdf> accessed 06 January 2025
[9] Ibid
[10] Ibid
[11] Akhil Kang and Vqueeram Aditya Sahai, ‘Guruswamy and Katju, Your rainbow doesn’t hide your casteism’ (Internet Archive, 24 September 2020) <https://web.archive.org/web/20210414200543/https:/www.akademimag.com/guruswamy-katju-rainbow-casteism> accessed 07 January 2025
[12] Ibid
[13] Jyoti Dhrubo and Sharanya Manivannan, Eleven Ways to Love, Part 1: A Letter to My Lover(s) (Penguin Random House 2019)