Goa's Government Contemplates Making LGBT Youths "Normal" By Setting Up Treatment Centres

"We will make them normal," said youth affairs minister Ramesh Tawadkar. "We will have a centre for them. ... We will train them and give them medicines too."

Goodbye, Baba Ramdev. Hello, minister Tawadkar.

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According to multiple reports, Goa's state sports and youth affairs minister, Ramesh Tawadkar, said on Monday that the Goa government is contemplating setting up training centres where LGBT-identifying youths will be provided medical treatment and "training" so they can become "normal".

"We will make them normal," Tawadkar reportedly said. "We will have a centre for them. Like Alcoholic Anonymous centres, we will have centres."

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The minister allegedly made this statement at an event held in Panaji for the launch of Goa's 2015 State Youth Policy on National Youth Day. The policy specified "target groups", one of them being LGBT youth. He went on to explain that LGBT youths need "focused attention" and are a "stigmatised" group.

Other "target groups" include juvenile offenders, drug afflicted youths, marginalised or migrant youths, and geographically disadvantaged youths.

"We will train them and (give them) medicines too," he said, according to an IANS report.

Tawadkar said that a detailed survey will be carried out in the state's LGBT community, to address the community's problems specifically, The Tribune reported.