“Love is something that cannot be defined by us. It is a feeling that goes beyond definitions. You can call it gentle, you can call it powerful. You can say it’s useful, or you can say it’s terrifying. You can say it’s necessary, or unnecessary. It can be defined in any way you want. It is a universal feeling shared by all living beings. It’s not something exclusive to humankind. If there is one quality common to all life forms, that quality is called ‘love’.
Some people try to give it different definitions – they say things like ‘true love’ or ‘staged love.’ (nadaga kaadhal in Tamil) But love is love. There’s no such thing as true or fake love. True or false… if it’s love, it is love – that’s all there is to it.
This feeling cannot be created by someone telling you or pushing you into it. Just like how a flower naturally blooms in its season, love too is something that blooms naturally. Beyond this feeling, there is no soul, no life. Without it, living beings wouldn’t be able to exist here. So love is such a profound emotion.
Many have tried to define it, but no one has defined it completely or accurately till now, because some things can only be understood through feeling – not by reading. Some things can only be described if felt, but even then, that description can’t make others feel the same way. So love is something we can only feel – we cannot fully explain or make others understand it through words. It’s such a subtle and deep emotion. As long as humanity exists, love will continue to live on.”
The above statement was the response by VCK Chief, MP Dr Thol Thirumavalavan in the Let us learn Democracy and Student Parliament 2025 conference held on 12th April 2025 for the below question posed by a student named Thirumavalavan:
“Hello, Anna. My name is Thirumavalavan. I’m studying here at the law college. My question is that in one of your speeches, you mentioned how the ancient Tamil society defined the word ‘kaadhal’ (love). You explained that ‘க்’ (k) + ‘ஆ’ (aa) becomes ‘கா’ (kaa), which forms ‘காதல்’ (kaadhal). ‘க்’ represents the மெய் (mei ezhuthu, which is the consonant. It roughly translates to body), and ‘ஆ’ represents the உயிர் (uyir ezhuthu, which is the vowel. It roughly translate to life/soul). Just as a consonant (mei) and vowel (uyir) join to become a meaningful syllable (uyirmei), you said that a man and a woman coming together and reproducing is what forms a society.
But in today’s times, we see that love happens between two men, and between two women, too. How should we view that? Does it fall within the definition of love as understood by Tamil society?”
Dr Thol Thirumavalavan’s response about love was not just the response above, his response was preceded by “In English, they call that ‘perversion’. *laughs and claps from the audience* If love happens between a man and another man, that is perversion. It is something that goes against nature.”
We; lesbian and gay people of diverse gender identities; who believe in justice, equality, and human dignity, are deeply disturbed by this statement made by VCK chief Dr Thol Thirumavalavan, where he referred to love between two people of the same gender as “perversion”. This comment, made during a public event among students and met with laughter and applause, sends a painful and dangerous message, especially coming from a leader known for advocating for the rights of the marginalized.
Lesbian and Gay individuals in India continue to live with fear, discrimination, and exclusion; not only in family and society at large but also within political and activist spaces that claim to fight for justice. Hearing a senior political leader who stands for social justice label same-sex love as unnatural is not only hurtful, but deeply irresponsible and unscientific. Such rhetoric adds to the stigma we are already fighting and risks legitimizing further hate and violence against LGBTQIA+ people.
We must remember that love is not a crime, and queerness is not a choice. Leading scholars, psychologists, scientists, and progressive political thinkers including Dr BR Ambedkar who cited the work of Dr Havelock Ellis, a British sexologist, in legal proceedings, specifically in discussions about the naturalness of homosexuality. In the 1930s, Dr Ambedkar used Dr Ellis’s research to argue that homosexuality should be viewed as a natural variation, part of the human experience, not a perversion in the Samaj Swasthya case in Bombay High Court.
This is not just about one comment. It raises important and urgent questions:
- Has the leader taken time to understand lesbian and gay lives before speaking publicly about us?
- Does he know how queer individuals, especially young people who face isolation, mental health struggles, and violence as a result of such public statements?
- Is he aware of how such comments can be weaponized by regressive forces to push back against hard-won rights?
- Does he understand that political alliances he is part of, like the INDIA bloc, have consistently supported LGBTQIA+ rights in their manifestos and public commitments? And that the Tamil Nadu DMK government, along with the Madras High Court, has been actively working to bring progressive policies in support of the LGBTQIA+ community?
Tamil Nadu is home to a proud legacy of progressive social movements. It is also the only state where Pride is translated as Queer Self-Respect Parade, a powerful expression rooted in the values of the self-respect movement. The queer community here has been working hard to build an intersectional and inclusive movement, one that bridges gender, caste, class, and faith.
When a leader publicly calls same-sex love “perversion,” it does not just hurt our community, it sends a message that we do not belong, that we are unsafe even in spaces that claim to stand for justice. It reinforces fear and exclusion in educational institutions and public platforms, especially for queer students who are already struggling. It fuels discrimination, and in extreme cases, may contribute to honour-based violence a reality that remains underreported and inadequately addressed across India.
A movement that claims to fight for liberation cannot exclude people based on who they love. Social justice cannot be selective.
Dr Thol Thirumavalavan must reflect on the harm caused by his words. A genuine, informed apology is needed, not just to correct a misstep, but to commit to a future where his supporters do not perpetuate homophobia in his name. We also seek VCK’s stand on LGBTQIA+ rights, clarity on lesbian and gay persons right to dignity and self-respect
Justice is nothing but love given legal and political backing. Just as justice must be equal and fair to all irrespective of identities, so is love. It must not and does not discriminate. For that reason a party and a leader who works for justice must not and should not discriminate over questions of love.
Queer liberation is inseparable from broader struggles for justice. Until all of us, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation, are free to live with dignity, the fight for equality will remain incomplete.
UPDATE: 6th July 2025
On 6th July 2025, VCK chief Dr Thol Thirumavalavan publicly expressed regret regarding his earlier statement and reaffirmed his and the party’s commitment to supporting LGBTQIA+ community rights and dignity.
