Homophobia in the Name of Marxism Sharmila Rege SEXUALITY is a relatively modern concept, emerging in 1800 and 'heterosexuality' and 'homosexuality' were not recognised as sexual categories till the end of the 19th century [Katz 1990]. It is significant to note that these terms came to be coined in 1869 by Karl Maria Kertbeny in the context of anti-sodomy legislation in Germany. Sexologists sought to distinguish between the sodomite as a 'temporary aberration' and the homosexual as a separate species, bearing a distinctive sexuality [Foucault 1979]. After Foucault's institutional deconstruction of the history of sexuality, the 19th century epistemology of perversion has become suspect. It may be underlined that ever since there has been a struggle over the meaning of homosexuality. Since heterosexuality has been assumed, its origins and vicissitudes have not been described. Definite biological assumptions have been made about heterosexuality being 'innate' or natural and thus rather than recognising the continuities and commonalities among sexualities, the entire focus has been on treating 'deviant sexualities' as problematic.