Gay Gandhi? Hardly

Last year I attended a short orientation to prepare me for work in rural India. Facing a year in the closet, I asked what I could expect from men in my community in rural Rajasthan:

"You might see some men holding hands like homosexuals in the west."

As a westerner I may have jumped to conclusions about two men holding hands. Certainly in London, you can guarantee that two men holding hands are probably gay or bisexual.

Here in India, I’ve spooned in a single bed with men, I’ve shared my dinner with men, and I’ve had men lie on my lap while we watch the TV. I’ve even been told by men that they love me, and that I am their heart. My phone is full of text messages from men confessing their love and that they miss me.

But do not mistake me as a celebrated as a gay icon. None of these interactions have any sexual context. My relationships with men in my community are entirely platonic. Simply, these men are not gay (I don’t doubt, however, that some in my community live in the closet).

So what happens when a westerner with a western lens on social interaction has the opportunity to interpret male social behavior in India? Well, Gandhi gets called bisexual and the Gujarat State Assembly convenes an emergency session that unanimously bans a comprehensive biography on India’s founding father, a biography they haven’t even read.

Joseph Lelyveld’s book, ‘Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle With India’ is not itself alarming, nor does it reveal anything that was not already known. Let’s be clear, Lelyveld is not Salman Rushdie and ‘Great Soul’ is not the Satanic Verses (although I, like the Gujarat Assembly, have not read the book). Safe to say, for now, Lelyveld will not be the target of an Indian fatwa.

Reviews of the book have put Lelyveld on the defensive though. In a WSJ review Andrew Roberts suggests that the book labels Gandhi bisexual. Roberts says that Gandhi’s true love is Hermann Kallenbach, a German bodybuilder, because it is written that Gandhi “has a portrait of Kallenbach in his bedroom”, because Gandhi said that Kallenbach had “taken possession of Gandhi’s body”, and because Gandhi had asked Kallenbach “not to look lustfully upon any woman” (never mind that this was in strict adherence to his vow of celibacy).

The review was widely quoted. In the British Daily Mail, an article ran under the headline: "Gandhi 'left his wife to live with a male lover' new book claims". The Mumbai Mirror, carried the story on a front page headline, “Book claims German man was Gandhi’s secret love” (ironically the article remarks how gleeful western reviews have pounced on the few lines relating to sexuality, failing to note that their story was itself smeared gleefully across their front page).

Lelyveld, judging by various reviews, has included a marginal section on Gandhi’s relationship with Kallenbach in his book, but stops short of judgment on the nature of the relationship.

But ‘Great Soul’ has nonetheless caused uproar in India, where the WSJ review – shot-gunned to the public by a lazy Indian media - has been read ahead of the book, meaning the book and content have been framed in the eyes of Roberts and other discerning (I kid) westerners. Gujarat is only the first of a pack of baying state assemblies in line to ban the book.

I have two problems with this; firstly, that the entire assembly of a state representing sixty million people could be so disgusted by the suggestion that Gandhi is gay, and secondly; that the entire assembly of a state representing sixty million people would base legislation on an erroneous review without even considering to pause and assess the evidence.

So that’s a lazy media, homophobia, and gross misjudgment. If I could convey a sigh of disapproval (should that be – quelle surprise?) at India, this is it (in the wake of their Cricket World Cup victory, nonetheless).

Homophobia in India is still rampant, but it’s manifested in ignorance rather than hatred. At any rate, there’s a long way to go before the question of Gandhi’s sexuality fades into irrelevance, and there are plenty more battles to be fought before it becomes acceptable to call Gandhi’s founding father bisexual (a term that many ‘phobes’ might perceive as more threatening than being called gay).

The race to ban ‘Great Soul’ on a whim of hysteria would be more believable had it happened under the Taliban. But in a country known for its morbidly slow legislative process, the decision to pass a hurried vote during an emergency session is a betrayal of democracy.

The gross misjudgment and unquestioning disgust caused by the suggestion that a book might have supposed Gandhi bisexual says more about the need for action to challenge homophobia – even in an ‘enlightened’ state assembly – than it does the content of Gandhi’s character.

Gujarat (soon to be joined by the state of Maharashtra, home to Bombay) has bought a great deal of shame not just to itself, but to millions of gay Indians who have begun to come out of the closet since homosexuality was decriminalized in 2009. The whole milieu - from an ignorant review seeking sensationalism, to a sloppy media doing the same, to lazy and captivated state assemblies – is a train-wreck of impotence.

Was Gandhi bisexual? I don’t know. But on the basis of this irrelevant evidence I wouldn’t count on it.

Then again, like the Gujarat State Assembly, I haven’t read the book.

By Simon McNorton. You can read more of Simon's thoughts at simonmcnorton.com.

Fitting In Without Letting Go

Simon McNorton is an Indicorps Fellow 2010 working on inclusive education programs in Rajasthan. His time in India is allowing him to discover his family's roots in India. Prior to India, Simon worked for gay equality organizations in the US and UK on issues including equality in employment, homophobia in education and hate crime and civil partnership legislation. You can read more of his thoughts at simonmcnorton.com

Push your limits. Make a difference. Be the change.

As Indicorps Fellows, we hear this a lot. And it's true, we have the potential to achieve so much this year. Placed at rural sites across the width and depth of India – from the Thar Desert to the banks of the Ganges, the Himalayas to beaches on the Indian Ocean – and armed with a license to practice change, we're exploring our identity and learning what we can become when we embrace opportunity. It's a once in a lifetime experience, right?

When you're groped by a stranger you really hope it's a once in a lifetime experience. When the perpetrator is a middle-aged labourer in a rural, empty school building 4,000 miles from home, out of sight from his wife and children, doubly so. Life-changing? Yes. What I signed up for? No.

The spiraling crash from the dizzy heights of pre-arrival to the reality of rural India comes without a parachute. But sometimes you land feet first. There's no point dwelling on negative experiences, and it's important to move on, but what lessons can be learned? Why did this happen to me? How can I turn this experience around?

In India I often find myself trying to turn experiences and situations around. In Chachiyawas, a small village in the Ajmer district of Rajasthan where my project is based, I meet someone new. “Your wife name?”. I try to explain that I don't have a wife. “But you are old”. Flattered, I try to change the subject, perhaps I can talk about how nice this chai is. “But really, why don't you have a wife”. In the face of persistence I explain that I travel too often. Whatever the excuse, this conversation will happen again, so I try to keep my stories straight. The web begins.

I'm not alone, the majority of Fellows have to adjust to their new environment. Women especially have to conceal large parts of their character, and bodies, to work effectively at the grassroots level. As fellows we censor our behaviour in India. The problem is easy to spot, how do we embrace our communities while concealing facets of our identity?

As an openly gay man coming from a career in gay equality, it's an oft-asked question. Before arriving in India, colleagues would frequently remind me, “You can't kiss boys there you know, how will you survive?”. Again flattered – my survival does not depend on kisses – the question would come up time and time again. It became a mission to me. It won't be so hard, I told myself. After all, being gay does not define me. I'm here to push my limits, to make a difference, and to be the change. I'm not here to be gay.

Perhaps I was naïve to think homosexuality would not be an issue. But the sordid reality of being gay in India was nothing to embrace. The middle-aged labourer I encountered was living a double life that manifested itself in an abusive manner. As an equality campaigner, I struggled to place blame on someone who had been repressed by society. To me, this was an opportunity to learn. To learn that despite being ignored, repressed and deemed the worst of immorality, there are gay people in India.

But I'm not here to kiss boys and I'm not here to be gay. I'm here to be the change in Chachiyawas. How do you move forward? Equality is my strongest passion, but gay liberation in the remote reaches of conservative Rajasthan cannot be my agenda this year. I turned it around.

The adults and children I work with in Chachiyawas suffer from severe learning disabilities which make them vulnerable to abuse. Working as a labourer on our remote campus is a sexual predator who is not able to demarcate the line between acceptable behaviour and repressed sexuality. Like the loudest penny dropping, I realised that it is vital to raise awareness of sexual abuse on campus. I engaged the issue with teachers and staff.

Is this a step towards changing mindsets and being the change? I hope so, although probably not in a direction that would liberate gay men and women. It's a challenging contradiction of priorities. I want to protect the adults and children I live with, but I don't want to demonise homosexuality. The latter is not my raison d'etre, and to yield my responsibility to the community serves a selfish agenda.

So how do we embrace our communities while hiding facets of our identity? Am I denouncing my sexuality for all time? Should my female co-fellows shun their body in shame? No, of course not. But my co-fellows and I are not here to be who we were, we're here to find out who we can become. This is our time to experiment with what is possible, to learn how we can do better and to be the change in our communities. I'm not here to serve an agenda, I'm here to discover my agenda.

We all want world peace

While there have been scattered hijra pageants in India in the past, earlier this week, Mumbai hosted the nation's first formal transgender pageant. Auditions for "Super Queen" have been taking place across the country for the past several weeks; contestants had been handpicked from ten Indian cities. Veteran actor Zeenat Aman and starlet/LGBT activist Celina Jaitley were on hand as judges.

The event has been organized by 12 Noon entertainment; some of you may be familiar with its CEO, trans-activist Lakshmi Narayan Tripathi. Impressively, they have been able to garner support from the likes of Salman Khan and even Pratibha Patil, the current President of India. While we at Queeristan are sorting through the media trickling in, we have been by conflicted by the dichotomous the use of "eunuch" by some sources and "transgender" by others. From our knowledge, the pageant did not require contestants to be hijras; however, if any of our readers know more information, please do share.

Regardless, it is extraordinary that such an undertaking has gained so much (positive) media buzz both within India as well as abroad. We send our congratulations to the winner, Bobby, and all the contestants. We would take this chance to drop the word "fierce", but it's not 2006.

Decriminalisation of Homosexuality in India's Capital? Say Wha?!

Links:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090702/ap_on_re_as/as_india_gay_rights

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8645.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8129836.stm

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0702/breaking29.htm

Slowly but surely, times are a-changin'.

Just hope that we won't have to wait 466 years..

"NEW DELHI (AP) — The High Court in New Delhi is so behind in its work that it could take up to 466 years to clear the enormous backlog, the court's chief justice said in a damning report that illustrates the decrepitude of India's judicial system.

The Delhi High Court races through each case in an average of four minutes and 55 seconds but still has tens of thousands of cases pending, including upward of 600 that are more than 20 years old, according to the report.

The problems of the Delhi High Court, which hears civil, criminal, and constitutional cases, is more the standard than the exception in India. The country's creaky judicial system has long been plagued by corruption, inefficiency and lack of accountability, often making the rule of law unattainable for all but the wealthy and the well-connected.

The United Nations Development Program says some 20 million legal cases are pending in India.

"It's a completely collapsed system," said Prashant Bhushan, a well-known lawyer in New Delhi. "This country only lives under the illusion that there is a judicial system." "

Indian Court is 466 years behind schedule

Happy <3 Day!

"In a country where they object to inter-caste, inter-religious and same sex relationships, it is important to have a day that recognizes love."-Ajay Kher

"In a country where extreme right groups still target heterosexual love outside of rigidly defined constraints as being "immoral," gay Indians are slowly moving toward greater acceptance and a more comfort with visibility.

A Feb. 13 article in the Hindustan Times detailed how gay couples are preparing to celebrate a Western import--Valentine’s Day--even as the violent extremist group Ram Sene has issued warnings against the observance and of the holiday, which Ram Sene describes as a "Christian conspiracy" to contaminate and dilute traditional Hindu values.

Ram Sene recently carried out an attack against a Mangalore pub, and about 140 of its members, including founding member Pramod Muthalik, have been rounded up and placed under "preventive arrest" following threats by the group to attack celebrants and force girls into arranged marriages against their will if they appear to be enjoying the attentions of their "Valentines," according to a Feb. 13 article at Outlook India.com.

Gay Hindus are somewhat concerned that the violent extremist group will target them next, but in the meantime, the holiday celebrating romance beckons, and same-sex lovers, like lovers of all persuasions everywhere, are answering its call."

Gay Hindus Celebrate Valentine's Day In India

Weekly Mix Masala

In India, a pro-gay play finally starts running after receiving its censor certificate a year later.
Videos From India

More info on the play here: Queer Media Watch

Indian theater manager is killed over his sexual advances towards one his male employees
Queer Media Watch

Hare Krishna Women discuss research that 72% of truck drivers in North Pakistan who participated in a recent survey admitted that they had sex with males. And there's some really interesting research on homosocial relationships in South Asian culture in this post. Go check it out!
Hare Krishna Women

Assholes in India run women out of a bar by kicking and slapping them
The Observers

Ugh more assholes. Ken Starr is trying to forcibly divorce already married gay couples in Cali
Courage Campaign

Whoa - Kansas is introducing a bill to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the state’s anti-discrimination law. If this full-blown Midwestern state is going for this, there is hope for the US.
365 Gay News

But then again - New York Senate Majority Leader Malcolm A. Smith said that he did not believe legislation to legalize marriage between same-sex couples has enough support to become law in 2009.
NYTimes

Full list of donors who donated to support Prop 8 in California
California Secretary of State

Girltalk in Chennai

Chennai will be launching its first lesbian helpline in a few days and phones have already been ringing! The program is sponsored by the sexual minority NGO, Indian Community Welfare Organisation (ICWO). The helpline is to provide counseling, support, and livelihood assistance to lesbians of the city. So Chennai gals, you can ring 044-65515742 if you need someone to chat with; the lines officially open this Saturday (February 7th).



Now if this sounds like something you would like to get involved with, the helpline is seeking volunteers. As of now only gay men are available to work the lines, the program would ideally like women taking calls. Interested? Contact ICWO, it's a great cause!

Weekly Mix Masala

Pune sees its first gay play-- Offbeat
Times of India

A look at the Highs (and Lows) of 2008 for South Asia
Global Voices

Forum on Islam and Homosexuality brings heated discussions from both sides of the table.
Beliefnet.com

As much as we at queeristan love NDTV for it's queer-friendly programming, it's facing heat in the Indian blogging community for infringing on free speech
Desi Pundit

Delhi woman demands alimony from gay ex-husband
Times of India

India not alone in suffering from dated Victorian "morality"
PinkNews

Trials begin in Punjab on possible HIV viral filter
Deccan Herald

15 South Asian NGOs unite to seek acceptance for sexual minorities.
Times of India

GLAAD publishes Media Reference Guide, 7th edition
GLAAD.org

Weekly Mix Masala

Sunil Babu Pant, from Nepal, addresses the UN on LGBT issues.
Gays Without Borders

This guy is on fire! Pant also received a "People of the Year Award" from The Advocate magazine!
Advocate.com

Nepal - one step forward, two steps back. Journalist Uma Singh, one of many journalists targeted in Nepal, is hacked to death by 12 to 20 men. One issue Uma covered was women's rights.
SAJA Forum

The Star Screen Awards were very... pseudo-gay this year! Priyanka Chopra wins the Best Actress award for Fashion and Jon Abraham and Abishek Bachchan win the best couple award for Dostana.
Screen India

Which Bollywood stars have Hollywood look-a-likes? These pairings are amazing!!
Ultrabrown

Queer Masti: Bi-sexual Prejudice - Bi Ladki talks about the lack of understanding towards bi-sexuals.
Desiclub.com

Court rules that Bangladeshi trans-persons are full-fledged citizen and are allowed to vote for the first time ever!
Globalgayz.com

What are the HIV related needs of sexual minorities in India? Download the document here:
msmasia.org

Cop torches wife to death in Nagpur, India
Times of India

Bollyshould(n't) Have

In all the hunguma over the depiction of homosexuality in Dostana, the movie Fashion managed to squeak past our radar. Fortunately, my vacation consists of my sisters cramming as many movies into a 3 day weekend as possible. And I'd like to say - there is a reason no one is talking about Fashion. Mostly because it sucks.

It should have been good. Really. There's sex, drugs, high fashion, a love triangle, and Priyanka Chopra. The movie is painstakingly slow for the beginning two-thirds. If you could just cut that out, it actually could have had some value. It's one of the few films with a story revolving completely around a female lead and the straight male roles can be barely described as supporting. It takes Indian female independence as a given, rather than a novelty and omg the female has sex and isn't rejected by all of society (let's convienently ignore the fact that she hits bottom low when she gasp! sleeps with a black man*). One of the best things about this movie is the themes of homosexuality. Afterall, you can't talk about the fashion industry and pretend like gay men don't exist, even in India. The initial depiction of one of the gay characters is cringe-inducing but he becomes less of a caricture and more of a person towards the end (the good half of the movie). And even better - they have more than one gay character, and the gay characters are not interested in each other; they have seperate storylines. The second gay role is more interesting - he's never caricturized, his gayness is treated as personal struggle that develops his character. He has to deal with rumors floating around at the Gurdwara about his current bachelor state and his mother's constant haranguing about marriage. In the end, he settles on a marriage of convenience with a female model and keeps his boyfriend. TWO gay roles, TWO seperate storylines...this movie is just begging to be loved. If it weren't for the shitty plotline, the unfinished feel, and the lack of rhythm, I'm sure something could have been salvaged out of it!

This movie had so much potential and the deadpan way that the gay characters were portrayed actually felt progressive in the same way the female independance was portrayed. Gayness wasn't debated in the movie as a moral issue, it wasn't treated as a "look at how Indian culture is changing! - gayness just was. It's as if the creator's of the movie were saying "Yeah, we know there are gay people. What's the big deal?" But maybe I'm giving too much credit to this movie. If it had been severely edited and had a clear message (were they trying to be progressive, or was that just an incidental?), maybe I could give it the benefit of the doubt. Now, for my last question - if there are gay characters in good Bollywood films and crappy Bollywood films, have Indian gays officially made it?

*okay, really Bollywood? I mean people are watching these films all over the world. It's time to stop being xenophobic and realize your reach is far beyond India's borders. We don't want our next post to be "Bollywood Backlash."

Weekly Mix Masala

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Terrorist Attacks on Mumbai
||26.11.08 - 29.11.08||
Summary of Attacks -- Wikipedia
Sequence of Events -- BBC News
Recent Developments -- NYTimes
Wear White on 12/1 in Solidarity -- Facebook Event
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Gays in India fear rules, blackmailers
The Washington Post

AIDS Sutra released this week, watch readings via webcast
SAJAforum

Dostana is (still) shaking up Bollywood
Bollywood films enter brave, gay world
Straight.com

Dostana in Pakistan
Pakistan Paindabad

John Abraham asks men to step it up
XPress


More Bollywood Gay News
Amisha Patel defends boyfriend's sexuality -- and no one cares
Bollywood News Blog

Konkona Sen Sharma jumps on the rainbow bandwagon
India Forums


Prop 8 News
Minorities fear trend from CA gay marriage ban
Reuters

A queer desi reaches out to LGBT Mormons
2015Place.com


Something Inspiring
All-girl rock band shakes Saudi Arabian establishment
NYTimes
Accolade's MySpace

Priyanka Speaks Up - Again

Asked if she would ever consider playing a lesbian role, Priyanka Chopra responded,

"Why not? I would toy with the idea of playing a lesbian character if the role was well written and the script was rock solid. I'm all for equality and gay rights anyway."

Quick, someone give me a few million and I can make this happen. I have the screenplay and everything, I swear. Also, I wrote myself a leading role in the film...cough cough.

Weekly Mix Masala

Condom ringtone, ads push sales in India! Listen to it HERE.
Yahoo! News

In Bangalore, two hijras held for abducting a 16 year old boy and forcing him to change his sex.
The Hindu

Also in Bangalore, police kick Hijras out of their homes in an act of "social cleansing"
Human Rights Watch

Dostana Reviews- what do YOU think??
Rediff India Abroad
Articles Base

“Why should homosexuals be looked down upon or singled out? It’s an individual’s take, as to how he or she would like to live their lives. That’s why I love the fashion industry. It’s the only industry that doesn’t discriminate, and encourages talent, whether you’re straight or gay!”
- Priyanka Chopra, from the film Dostana
News Network

Pakistan included in the world's top 10 countries with the most internet censorship! I guess that means no Queeristan for you guys :(
Techachino

Banning of Israeli same-sex couples from adopting or having a surrogate mother leads couples to find answers in India!
Outlook India

Open up your eyes, India! Kinsey-like report reveals Indian sexual practices
India Today

The Intervention - What's every Desi girl's secret? Gay porn, of course.

Salaam Zindagi Interviews Gay Men

NDTV, my new favorite Hindustani station (suck it ZeeTV) recently had a segment about gay men the talk show "Salaam Zindagi," but we only got a short clip. Because I'm so extra fabulous, I translated the whole damn thing. You know a 6-minute clip takes a freakin hour to translate?

So I'm wondering where that guy teaches, because I'm pretty sure a teacher in the US who came out on TV as a gay rights activist would have some issues teaching again. Indians are cool like that. You know, not really supporting gay marriage and then doing weird shit like electing a female PM. Whatevz.



Notes: Where is Mr. Deepak getting his statistics from? Someone tell me!! And if anyone has the rest of this show and feels like translating it too, send it ovahhh.

Translation:

Hostess: "...accusations are made, questions are asked, and torture takes place too. Manish we have met earlier and now months later..Manish, this time since we last saw you, tell us how it was"

Manish: "It was a hectic time; a lot of people who are homosexual like myself contacted me...in a certain sense, I gave a lot of counseling. I liked it because people didn't want to come out before, people don't want to show themselves. It's hard because it's so emotional and the family pressure is so strong and people can't live their lives the way they want to.

H: "You also had quite a bit of family pressure, along with societal pressures. So did any of the family pressure alleviate when you came out, and discussed it openly?

M: My sister and my aunt, who I never would have imagined, gave me so much support and lovingly accepted met. I've been close to my aunt since I was a kid. She used to pressure me to get married, but after she saw me on the show (for the first time), she came up to me and hugged me and said sweetly "I'm proud of your strength for not bending to pressure to enter a relationship (getting married to a woman) that wouldn't have worked for you. She really appreciated me, and actually I want to say on this show "I really love you, bhua (aunt), thank you so much."

H: Knowing yourself, accepting yourself is truly something that requires a lot of strength. Saying it is easy, but may be difficult for many peoplet. You haven't met Deepak, let me introduce you - Deepak Kashyip. A gay rights activist and a teacher. He's here today because when I first met him we spoke about our episode on gay rights, and he felt it was a good opportunity to come here and speak. Deepak, you said after seeing the show you gained some strength and felt that you could speak about his openly.

D: I will say that the show was one big reason I came here. But a even bigger reason I came, I want to say: If there is anything causing you problems, there is a simple reason - either you don't understand it (being gay) fully, or the truth that you know, you don't want to accept. Often, I used to go to church and to temple and blame God that this is your problem, this is your mistake. But, later on I realized that you can't blame anyone for this. And when I found out this isn't a medical disorder and there are homosexuals in the wider animal kingdom, I realized this is a law of evolution - you can't do anything about it. So, I personally believe that I found out the truth about this and that I accepted it.

H: Your mom and dad know about this truth, and now accept you/understand you even better. The dilemma of explaining this to them, has that gotten easier, Deepak?

D: My dad always taught me that if I'm not harming the environment, hurting myself or hurting anyone else, than I have the complete right to choose the path to my happiness.

H: That's great. That is a great thing you said. If you're not causing harm to anyone, you're not pulling any shadiness, you're not talking shit about anyone, then why don't you have the equal right to being happy? Why should you be ridiculed, and laughed at? You (Deepak) are a gay rights activist, you have participated in the recent gay pride parade, why did you think of becoming a gay rights activist?

D: 85% of gay Indian men are married. And of those 85%, 90% of those men are actively gay outside their marriage. I want to work for others too.

H: Thank you for coming on this show. I have hopes that your talk will help others find the courage to accept themselves. So we had this talk with people that by society's standards maybe aren't "normal," aren't "straight" but consider themselves normal, and might see us as abnormal. Does anyone have any questions?

Question by girlie: I want to ask how much your friends supported you when you decided to come out?

D: I am lucky, because, say I had 100 friends, all of those 100 friends accepted me. It is really rare that anyone looked askance at me, otherwise I was completely accepted. They don't love me because I'm gay - they love me for me. If I was straight, even then my sexuality wouldn't matter to them as much as it matters that I am a human being.

H: Fall in love with someone, accept someone because of who they are.

THE END!

Weekly Mix Masala

The Kinsey Institute's International Encylopedia of Sexuality is all available online. Articles about India: 516; Nepal: 714; Sri Lanka: 972. For those of you virgins to the Kinsey name - Kinsey is considered the father of sexology. Go watch Kinsey, the movie, for a better idea.

The Kinsey Institute

Check out the website of famous Indian photographer Farrokh Chotia - he's photographed the likes of Aishwariya and Lakshmi Menon. Note the, ahem, color differences between the "ideal" beauty of the Bollywood stars and the more varied features of the legitimate models.

farrokchothia.com

Can't swallow the idea of real live Indian porn? Well there's a comic alternative for you, Savita Bhabhi. Unfortch, no queer scenes as of yet, but it's delightfully ironic.

Savita Bhabhi

Apple donates $100,000 to fight against Proposition 8, which is on the California ballot to eliminate the right of gay marriage from the state constitution. You know, I never would have guessed...

The Tech Chronicles

Turns out that Indians in the US aren't as conservative as we sometimes think. Indians are strong supporters of Obama, and additionally *drumroll* - A majority of Indians in California are against a constitutional amendment banning gay-marriage (aka Prop 8).

SAJA Forum

Fashionable Poverty

The New York Times ran a great piece a few days ago on a controversial ad campaign launched by Vogue India.

Vogue India’s August issue present[s] a 16-page vision of supple handbags, bejeweled clutches and status-symbol umbrellas, modeled not by runway stars or the wealthiest fraction of Indian society who can actually afford these accessories, but by average Indian people.

The spread raises some questions regarding the difference between creativity and social responsibility. These models, who on average make less than $1.25 a day, are showcasing items upwards of $1,000. How can one reconcile the vast disparity? Unfortunately, Vogue India editor, Priya Tanna, does not. She states that the critics should "lighten up," adding that "with fashion, you can’t take it that seriously." Tanna's gaucherie rebuttal is a slap in the face to not only India's serious poverty problem, but to the mission of fashion as a whole.

Had this campaign been driven by a more profound cause than mere shock and awe, I would have thought twice before rejecting it as a sophomoric attempt at creativity. Tanna confesses that the works bear no significant meaning, but even the most amateur enthusiast understands that great fashion is created with a great purpose -- without it, what is left is, well, meaningless.

In Vogue India magazine, a child from a poor family modeling a Fendi bib, which costs about $100.

A man modeling a Burberry umbrella in Vogue that costs about $200.

Weekly Mix Masala

More Reviews of A Jihad for Love
Arab American News
Bay Area Reporter
San Fransico Bay Times

Behind the veil lives a thriving Muslim sexuality
Sydney Morning Herald

Victims blame Nepali PM for floods
SindhToday.net

HIV positive Indian boy wishes to be sent back to Pakistani jail
Pakistan Daily
The News

Gay and Democracy- how queers are becoming more involved in politics.
Times of India

Carriers of HIV ignored in India
NDTV

Activists want British apology for IPC 377
The Independent

Essay on homosexuality in India
CounterCurrents.org

Health Minister Ramadoss champions gay rights
Sahara Samay

How to combat distance in fighting India's war against HIV/AIDS
Reuters India

UAE contradicts itself in terms of lifestyle
International Herald Tribune

Sanjaya, from American Idol, returns!

Why India needs more HIV/AIDS awareness:

"An Indian couple who were infected with the virus that can lead to AIDS have committed suicide after killing their three children, police in Mumbai say. Relatives say the couple had been depressed by news that their daughter also had the HIV virus.

Police say the parents hanged themselves after poisoning their children, aged between five and 10. India has one of the largest numbers of HIV-positive people in the world and they suffer serious social stigma."

Indian HIV parents kill children

Weekly Mix Masala

Queeristan would like to wish India and Pakistan very happy 61st birthdays! We hope everyone is enjoying the celebrations all over the world!



Profile of Hanif Kureishi, screenwriter of 1985 queer flick, My Beautiful Laundrette
NY Times

Minister Ramadoss' statement gives gays hope in India
Hindustani Times

Review for A Jihad for Love
Los Angeles Times

HIV and homosexuality in Pakistan research report
AidsPortal

Fellow Queeristani, Naful Khan, comes out!
The Times

A profile of novelist, Manju Kapur
Jabberwock (from August's Elle)