“Gay people can be converted into becoming straight.” “Gay parents aren’t as good as straight parents.” “Paedophiles are most likely to be gay.” 

Hundreds of myths about homosexuality are doing the rounds out there. It’s easy to get sucked into the anti-gay vortex, especially in the internet age. So Love Matters takes a look at the science to bust some myths.

When Nakshatra goes out for a coffee with his mother, they’re both on the look-out for cute men. “Do you fancy that guy?” she’ll say.

Things haven’t always been this way. Growing up in a village, he became aware of his feelings aged 16. A year later, after a move to Mumbai, he told his parents he was gay. His mum said she wished he was dead.

Anita Chedi wants to marry her girlfriend.

Luckily she now lives in the Netherlands, where same-sex marriage is legal. But there’s an extra problem: Anita wants a Hindu wedding. In India she knows lesbian couples who have been married in temple ceremonies, even though same-sex couples can’t legally marry. Yet ironically, finding an open-minded priest in the Netherlands seemed impossible.

I am a healthy man who enjoys sex. That might sound bold but it needs saying now or it would be hard to understand the nuances of my story.

I enjoy the feeling of love that a healthy sexual relation provides me. I’m scared of being left alone. But I guess I didn’t really understand what the word ‘loneliness’ could mean until I met this guy on my city’s queer circuit.

Homosexuality – it’s a big topic on our site. And for good reason: a lot of people are gay, lesbian or bisexual. Actually, even a lot of animals are, too! 

Yet it’s still a big taboo, and gay and lesbian people often face prejudice and discrimination. Time to bring together the most important facts and dispel some pesky myths in the 23rd edition of Top Five Facts.

Q: I am really confused about my sexuality. What if I am gay?

It is always going on in my mind and affecting my performance – I am student in Delhi. I can't even discuss this issue with my parents as they are old fashioned. Is being gay normal? Please help, me Auntyji. Dhurva, Delhi

Sex can kill … copulating flies. Female baboons like it noisy. Bi-curious male fish score more chicks. And what’s up with German animal sex laws?

These news flashes and more in the fourth edition of Love Matter’s column Sex in the Press which dives deep into the darkness so you have time for a romantic moonlight swim.

I’m sure you’ve heard this many times before: all the good guys are either taken or gay.

Yes, take me for example. The good news is that in reality there are plenty of straight guys still out in the wild. But these days, they’re aspiring to be gay. As if straights weren’t reeling under enough performance pressure, now we’re facing competition from gays who are making us look really, really bad.

The Netherlands recently held its annual Mr Gay contest in much pomp and style. I know that the Dutch have open values – but with my Indian background I had troubles digesting the scenario! 

I kept imagining how all hell would break lose if such a contest were to be held in India. I am convinced there can’t be an Indian Mr Gay. At least not yet.

‘That’s so gay!’ – lots of young people have heard it, many have said it themselves. Using the word ‘gay’ to mean ‘stupid’ or ‘uncool’ has become really common.

But that doesn’t mean that it’s OK. In fact, hearing the phrase ‘that’s so gay’ can be bad for the health and well-being of gay, lesbian and bisexual (GLB) college students, a recent US study found.