Medical response to male same-sex sexuality in western India: An exploration of 'conversion treatments' for homosexuality

This report is the result of a project entitled " Medical response to male same-sex sexuality in Western India An exploration of 'Conversion Treatments' for homosexuality, " undertaken as part of the Health and Population Innovation Fellowship (HPIF) awarded to the author in 2006. The HPIF programme is administered by the Population Council, New Delhi and is a continuation of the MacArthur Foundation's Fund for Leadership Development (FLD) fellowship programme that continued over the period 1995 to 2004. The Council is grateful to the MacArthur Foundation for its support to this programme. The HPIF programme aims to support mid-career individuals who have innovative ideas, leadership potential, and the capacity to help shape policy and public debate in the field of population, reproductive health and rights in general, with a focus on two priority themes maternal mortality and morbidity, and the sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people. Since the transfer of the programme to the Population Council through 2006, a total of 17 individuals have been supported under the HPIF programme. The Population Council is an international, non-profit, non-governmental organisation that seeks to improve the well-being and reproductive health of current and future generations around the world and to help achieve a humane, equitable and sustainable balance between people and resources. The Council conducts biomedical, social science and public health research, and helps build research capacities in developing countries. About the author: Ketki Ranade has an M.A. in medical and psyhciatric social work from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai and an MPhil in psychiatric social work from NIMAHNS, Bangalore. She has been working since the last six years as a psychotherapist, researcher and trainer in the field of mental health. Her area of interest includes social marginalisation and mental health, specifically sexual minorty mental health, gender and mental health. She is currently based at Bapu Trust, Pune, an NGO working in the area of mental health research, service and advocacy.