Representation of the LGBTQ community in pop-cultural elements fuels hatred in Indian society
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Intolerance and violence against the LGBTQ community are not new or uncommon things in Indian society. One of the biggest reasons for the rising hate is the misrepresentation of LGBTQ members in Indian pop cultural elements like cinema, tv-series and reality shows.
Tamoghna Das
Jeet Nayak is a 24-year-old makeup artist who identifies as a cisgender homosexual man. He says, “Indians get influenced by cinema and reality shows very easily. The venom they are spitting on the screens every day wires many brains to be homophobes.”
Jeet is not alone; several community members hold pop cultural elements to be one of the biggest culprits for fueling homophobia. Abhijit Mishra is an LGBTQ activist. Abhijit says, “Nowadays, they won’t make a film directly attacking us. Instead, they will make subtle puns towards the only LGBTQ character in the film, or in the name of comic relief, they will use a man who talks or walks differently and make fun of him.”
"The venom they are spitting on the screens every day wires many brains to be homophobes"
History of LGBTQ struggle in India
On September 6, 2018, a new dawn emerged as India made another tryst with destiny and “successfully redeemed her pledge, not wholly or in full measure but very substantially.” The Navtej Singh Johar versus the Union of India Judgement of the Hon’ble Supreme Court changed the face of the state’s legal point of view towards a community that it once considered “a minuscule minority.” On September 7, India woke up to a new dawn where millions of her sons and daughters were not criminals anymore according to the Indian Penal Code for exercising their rights given by the constitution of India to make consensual love to the partners they wanted. Section 377 of the India Penal Code declared all homosexual acts criminal offense while terming them “against the law of the nature” before the Supreme court five-judge bench led by the Chief Justice of India termed it unconstitutional and struck it down. However, the road to that day was no cakewalk. Instead, it started with a battle cry and garnered the sacrifice of time, resources, and even lives. Ironically, a country whose foundation was laid with the echoes of the word freedom waited 27 years to provide basic freedom to its millions of citizens. The fight started on a fine day in 1991 against the draconian colonial-era law section 377 of the Indian penal code, which was modeled after the buggery act 1533.
"You can make jokes on us as individuals but not on our sexuality"
Humiliation in the name of comic relief
Comedy is an integral part of film-making. Even after the decriminalization of homosexual acts, the hate and intolerance in Indian society remain prevalent. In cinema and even in TV shows, comedians mimic gay persons. The audience seems to enjoy it as well. Bengali comedian Mir Afsar Ali used to mimic the national award-winning director Rituparno Ghosh. Once on live television, Ghosh confronted Mir, saying it was not only offensive to him but also his whole community. This made a lot of headlines and triggered a discussion on this issue. Abhijit says, “It’s not like we get offended with everything. You can make jokes on us as individuals but not on our sexuality because when you do that, your followers get encouraged and start humiliating us.”
Victim narrative
Another important aspect is the narrative set on the victimization of the LGBTQ community by the media, especially international media. The media focuses on stories centered on how LGBTQ people are victims of discrimination by the larger society and are being marginalized by the government. Despite the portrayals being necessary to shed light on the discrimination faced by the community members, it’s also essential to consider the identity’s multiplicity. Since LGBTQ people are also divided into race, class, caste, and gender, it becomes crucial for the media to show the different layers of the issue.
Everything is not dark and gloomy
Despite the prevalent discriminatory portrayals, several favorable coverages provide hope. Movies like “Shubh Mangal Zyada Sabdhan,” based on the struggles of a gay couple, are steering hope for us. Apart from that, issues of LGBTQ community members are being highlighted by the media, which educates the masses. This boosts acceptance and tolerance in society.
Pop cultural elements are essential parts of a society’s culture. They influence a lot of people, either positively or negatively. To make our community more inclusive, we need to put much more effort into making gender-sensitive content. The best way to do that is to educate the masses about their struggles and issues. The media also needs to focus on their issue rather than showing them as victims.
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