BBC: Asian gays and lesbians in the UK have married people of the opposite sex in a bid to conform to traditional values and beliefs, it has been claimed.
Gay activists said these marriages happened because some members of their community felt homosexuals brought shame on their people.
They said in some cases gay and lesbian people had been beaten and abused.
The BBC has seen hundreds of people advertising on the internet for so-called marriages of convenience.
One of them is 19-year-old Rubina, from south-east England, who placed an advert on an Asian gay website.
She said: "I just want to make life easier, I want to get my family off my back, because they're pressurising me to get married.
"In my culture it's not acceptable to be gay. If I have a marriage of convenience it will give them the illusion that I'm straight and I can carry on with who I want." Gay Asians 'marrying to conform' >>> By Naresh Puri
WATCH BBC VIDEO:
Gay Asians’ Pressure to Marry
GAY RELATED ISSUE:
BBC:
Anti-gay police complaints 'rise'
LISTEN TO BBC AUDIO:
Rise in Anti-Gay Police Attacks
Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)
