Author of the Harry Potter series J. K. Rowling has outed a very popular character, Albus Dumbledore, as being gay or homosexual. I don't know if this is a big deal for Indian readers, but it has led to much discussion in the western media. For one thing, tolerance of different religions and lifestyles is a major issue--the US has been discussing the issue of gay marriage, whereas the UK already permits same-sex partnerships. The issue of AIDS has forced the gay community to tackle its problems head on and look for stability in relationships.
However, this is not the case in India, where a) homosexuality is seen as a "lifestyle choice" rather than as an integral part of one's personality or the way one relates to the world or b) as a fad imported from the west. What many people, especially the conservatives in the Shiv Sena and the BJP, who created such a furore over Deepa Mehta's Fire, fail to realize is that homosexuality thrives in societies where the separation of sexes is the norm. So it's not unusual to read about homosexual relationships in prisons or hostels, where you have separate facilities for men and women. The problem arises when society closes its eyes to these realities. For instance, there was a programme in Tihar Jail, when Kiran Bedi was in charge, to distribute free condoms to the prisoners. It's a well-known fact that the use of condoms can prevent AIDS. However, this programme was stopped, due to pressure from the moral police.
Because homosexual relations between men in India are seen as a criminal act under Article 377, it is almost impossible for AIDS activists to find men who have sex with men and give them the essential information they need to safeguard their health. I'm sure that, if Article 377 has been retained as a safeguard against paedophelia, it has failed in its purpose. It should be scrapped and replaced with a law drafted specifically against paedophelia.
However, we do have some extremely courageous people who have come out of the closet and are working with the gay community. This gentleman was recently interviewed on the Oprah Winfrey show--he has also appeared in a BBC Radio 4 doucmentary on AIDS awareness amongst the gay community in India.
Wednesday, 24 October 2007
Dumbledore is Gay--Why it Matters
Labels:
AIDS activists,
Article 377,
homosexuality
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
About Me
Followers
The Indian Express » Print Category » Front Page
- Riding a boat across Sutlej, two girls from Punjab border village make it to high school - 11/16/2022
- UP, Bihar: BJP eyes Extremely Backward Classes, Pasmanda Muslims in new social coalition bid - 11/15/2022
- Aaftab Poonawala asked me not to go to police: Shraddha Walkar’s friend who alerted family - 11/15/2022
- Draft statement echoes PM’s not-time-for-war remark to Putin: Report - 11/15/2022
- Data protection Bill revised: Penalty up to Rs 200 crore if firms don’t have safeguards - 11/15/2022
Times of India
- Police vs army: Pak interior minister behind kidnapping of Sindh IGP? - 10/22/2020
- 'False marriage promises led to 57% rapes in UP' - 10/21/2020
- Girl kills dad for beating mom; surrenders - 10/22/2020
- Liberalisation too didn't help Bihar - 10/21/2020
- 'Himalayas poised for a series of big earthquakes' - 10/22/2020
Latest news, sport, business, comment and reviews from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk
- Oleksandr Usyk wraps Ukraine’s flag around himself and his fists around Daniel Dubois | Barney Ronay - 7/19/2025
- Usyk defeats Dubois to become undisputed heavyweight champion once more - 7/19/2025
- Browsing Rightmove for a rural bolthole? Get ‘the best of the Highlands’ for £9m - 7/19/2025
- Ann-Katrin Berger follows up biblical miracle with penalty heroics for Germany | Jonathan Liew - 7/19/2025
- Berger stars in shootout as Germany overcome early red card to fell France at Euro 2025 - 7/19/2025
BBC News | News Front Page | World Edition
- England overcome lightning delay to beat US - 7/20/2025
- Home secretary pledges new power to stop violent attackers - 7/20/2025
- 'Inquiry after SAS identities leaked' and 'brat & groom' - 7/19/2025
- Members only: India's rich and famous ditch old-school clubs for exclusive hangouts - 7/19/2025
- 'Great British Energy solar panels' were made in China - 7/19/2025
No comments:
Post a Comment