Weekly Mix Masala

What's the story on HIV/AIDS and Indian youth?
The Viewspaper

Did Vanity Fair whitewash Slumdog Millionaire's Freida Pinto in the March issue?
Jezebel

A touching story by a previously homophobic Pakistani woman..."Learning from Harvey Milk: A Pakistani view!"
Pak Tea House

The teen soap Hollyoaks recently introduced its first Asian family-the Roys. Hunky Ravi Roy, played by Stephen Uppal, is bisexual in the soap, but his family is unaware of his sexuality.
Channel 4

Want a baby? Gay or straight, come to India, doc says.
IndiaWest

Phone companies give transgendered task of repairing phones. Because everyone knows transpeople are good with their hands..?
Times of India

It only took a UK reality show and Oprah for gay Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil to start gaining respect his own townsfolk.
Times of India

Aware that they may be the next targets of Ram Sene, homosexuals join women in the fight to resist being bullied by straight men with narrow minds.
Hindustan Times

Funny Indian man turns gay for advertising! Definitely the WTF moment of the week..

Ellen goes Bollywood

While Anoop Dogg is singing his heart out on American Idol, we have Slumdog Millionaire stars Dev Patel and Freida Pinto (love them!) on the Ellen Show (love her!) dancing Bollywood style (loves it!). Poor Dev looks like he was caught off-guard with all the music. It's alright if you can't dance, Dev, I still think you're cute.

Anoop Dogg Hits American Idol

2009 seems to be bringing some much needed media attention to brown folk. First with Slumdog Millionaire's strong showing at the Golden Globes (now, up for 11 BAFTA nominations with Oscar noms to be announced next week), to Sanjay Gupta as Obama's possible Surgeon General pick, to American Idol's newest brown-skinned vocalist. Anoop Desai has a lovable nerd quality to him but packs a mean, soulful punch. Not easily confused with the gawky (and sometimes just awkward) Sanjaya, I have high hopes for Anoop Dogg. Check out the clip below for his AI audition!

Prince Charming?

Gujarati Indian Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil has no qualms about being on television. After countless news interviews (including one with Oprah!), the Prince has given in to the lure of reality television! Premiering on Jan 15 on BBC, Prince Gohil will star in "Undercover Princes," a documentary where, hiding his true identity, he will travel gay bars in London to search for his true Prince Charming. Wishing you all the best Prince Gohil, but honesty, I'm not expecting much. Gay bars may not exactly be the best place to find someone to spend your life with. Maybe for hot, slutty, sex- yes, but life-long bliss? I'd suggest a garba- they're always jam-packed with gay Gujju men.

Gay Indian Prince seeks British soulmate

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UPDATE: Check out BBC's interview with Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil and a sneak peek at his television show!

The Undercover Princes

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!

Think Hatke

Another Virgin ad with a queer twist - Do we like it or do we hate it?

Weekly Mix Masala

Trikone Australia puts on its first South Asian Queer film festival! Aug 15-17th!
MCA

Inborn homosexuality or media hype? Islam Online discusses the issue...
Islam Online

Openly gay Ayush Maheshwari sells his 150 kilos to become the next 'big' reality show host
Times of India

Indian Health Minister wants to "give gays a break"
Hindustan Times

Muslim women in India design new marriage contract
Women's eNews

Ahh! Castration law for transgendered triggers outrage in Sweden!
The Local

More News from Sweden - Apparantly they love our prince
NDTV

Queer, South Asian sex advice column!
(Queer)ies: Your Personal Sex Advice Kiosk

The playwright and director, Chetan Datar, has passed away. Chetan used themes of homosexuality and gender bending in many of his plays.

Weekly Mix Masala

Interview with Onir, director of My Brother...Nikhil
DesiCritics.org

Protests urge US and Europe to stop aid to homophobic countries
Pink News

Gay honor killing, a first in Turkey
The Independent

What's wrong when men come together?
Business Standard

Trans tourists detained in Dubai
Gulf News

Profile of The Wire's Omar Little, "the gay stick up man who robs drug dealer for a living"
The Guardian

Pakistan at risk for HIV/AIDS epidemic
Daily Times of Pakistan

South Asian gays silent no longer
The Province

Salman embraces the queers

A couple of weeks ago, a fabulous hijra named Lakshmi was on the hit game show Dus Ka Dum, hosted by Salman Khan. Although she didn't win, she most definitely stole the show with her dazzling personality and elegance. And surprisingly, Salman Khan was quite the charmer as well. Now I see why he can get away with almost anything...

"If these guys aren't in a hurry to jump into my curry, then NEEEEEEXT!"

Mtv's NEXT is undoubtedly one of the trashiest of trashy shows currently on TV- ok, I'm not gonna lie, it's one of my guilty pleasures! To my surprise,I turn on the television and none other than Shakeel, who gets turned on by 'wood' (Bolly-wood that is!), ends up playing the role of the bitchy gay this time! Shakeel and his dates pretend to be Bollywood heroes, learning professional choreography and even taking part in the required love/dream sequence. Unfortunately, what's posted is not the whole episode, but it's still good enough for a quick laugh.

AND THE AWARD GOES TO...

The Queer Media Collective, a group of journalists who aim for a more balanced treatment of queer issues in the Indian media, held the first ever Queer Media Collective Awards last week. Acknowledging the efforts of queers and allies, the ceremony allowed the LGBT community to express its gratitude to those that are helping to make India more queer-friendly. Check out the winners below, they consist of some truly amazing organizations and individuals!

1. Best Newspaper for Queer Coverage and Representation - The Hindustan Times

HT has consistently reported well on queer issues, done original, in-depth stories on the queer community and has highlighted these stories on its front page.

2. Best Magazine for Queer Coverage and Representation - TimeOut

TimeOut has taken the lead covering the queer community as just a regular part of Indian life. Apart from this it has covered queer artists and performers, done articles on queer events and highlighted queer performances.

3. Best TV Channel (News) for Queer Coverage and Representation - NDTV

4. Best TV Channel (Entertainment) for Queer Coverage and Representation - Zee Café

For Zee Café to run with queer themed shows like Will & Grace or those with queer storylines like Six Feet Under and Oz, and not censor these in deference to some imagined ‘local culture’ is truly admirable and takes us a small, but important step towards changing attitudes.

5. Best Advice Columnist for Queer Coverage and Representation - Dr. Mahinder Watsa in Mumbai Mirror.

Queries on sexuality are met with the answer that there is nothing wrong in homosexuality, and for further information people are referred to more specialised counselors. This is probably the best short-term advice and we are grateful to Dr. Watsa for giving it.

6. Best Print Journalist for Queer Coverage and Representation - Bachi Karkaria

Bachi Karkaria has been writing on queer issues long before they became fashionable. She has used her very widely read Sunday column to talk about gay friends and the folly of antigay laws.

7. Best TV Journalist for Queer Coverage and Representation - Barkha Dutt

8. Best Treatment of Queer Issues in a Popular Film - Reema Kagti, for Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.

9. Best Documentary/Film with a Social Message on Queer Issues - The Alternate Sexuality, CNN-IBN

10. Queer Newsperson of the Year - Manvendra Singh Gohil, the Rajkumar of Rajpipla

This award is given for a person who has done a lot to raise queer issues in the media in a personal capacity and also as a commentator. Prince Manvendra has done this despite the considerable personal cost of going public with his story. Most important of all he did so in the regional media which is where exposure on queer issues is most needed.

11. ‘The Humsafar Trust Award’ - Shobha Row Kavi, mother of Ashok Row Kavi

Ashok Row Kavi's mom was not only the first mom ever to give an interview, she's seen it all and been a part of it over the years from the start -- the birth of Bombay Dost and Humsafar, countless meetings at her home, the ups and downs, and even the controversies.

For an in-depth description of all of the winners' accomplishments, visit Queer Media Collective

Will Singapore Ease Up?

The Singaporean television show "Find and Design" has been fined $11,000 for featuring a gay couple who wanted to transform one of their rooms into a nursery for their newly adopted baby. This follows after a March report by Sheela Narayanan that Singapore refused to air the Tamil TV show "Ippadiku Rose," featuring the male-to-female hostess, Rose Venkatesan. This article mysteriously disappeared from The Electric Singapore, but don't worry, you can find a copy here. And in a sort of karmic retribution, The Electric has lost a majority of it's readers this year. Maybe it's just a technical glitch? (Watch bad karma hit Queeristan now).

Gay sex is illegal in Singapore and "violators" (I prefer the term "lovers") can be punished with a maximum of two years in jail. Following this conservatism, it's against Singapore television regulations to encourage/normalize gay lifestyle.

South Asians are one of Singapore's biggest ethnic groups, and many of them are Tamil speakers. They're missing them some Rose! The fact that Singapore is trying to get kids to mate since their population is dwindling doesn't bode well for the LGBT community. (And never mind the hypocrisy of the government-mandated love).

Associated Press - Singapore

Gay in the UK

The British sure do have a fascination with us! Check out this segment about a gay Sikh man living in the UK.



Also, broadcast on Channel 4 in 2006 (and recently posted online) is a segment that looks into the lives of Muslim gays in the UK.

Weekly Mix Masala

The Pink Mirror (Gulabi Aaina), a gay-themed spoof of Bollywood, finally gets a debut in India four years late, after being banned by critics
Solaris Pictures

Happy Hookers -- Documentarian Ashish Sawhny trails three men who moonlight as part-time sex workers in Mumbai, India.
FILMOUT: What not to miss

Pregnant Man Thomas Beatie Appears on Oprah. Click for clip of show.
Jezebel

McCain, Clinton, & Obama call on UK to stop deportation of gay Iranians
CNBC

Anti-homophobia books removed from schools at the request of Muslim parents
UK's The Telegraph

A queer woman harshly criticizes India from an outsider's point of view
GenerationQ

A rally for Sally Kern, who made the statement that "the homosexual agenda is destroying the [US] nation," draws more than 1,000 supporters
NewsOK.com

A member of the new group, The World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists, urges Muslims to donate towards HIV/AIDS causes. "[Although] ıt is associated wıth sexual promıscuıty and the gay lifestyle, which are anathema to Islam, the needs of AIDS victims in sub-Saharan Afrıca are too great to ignore."
Philanthropy.com

Ladko Mein Interest Nahi- Virgin mobile commercial

Sometimes desi parents are so predictable. And being as devious as we are, we've definitely used it to our advantage.

A commercial showcasing how straight desis can benefit from the South Asian community's negative connotations of being queer. Oh, desi parents... enough said.

Transgender Talk Show Host in India

Following Pakistani Begum Nawazish Ali's footsteps, India has revealed a new talk show with transgender Rose called "Ippadiku Rose" (Yours, Rose). Her new show generated quite some buzz, getting the attention of the NYTimes. "We will be tackling subject that are very controversial in nature, from gay rights to sexual abuse and prostitution," said Pradeep Milroy Peter, the station's head of programming. Already, the show has made this clear with its focus on women's issues - the first episode, which aired March 5th, dealt with the sexual harassment of women and the second episode will deal with the exploitation of women in the modelling industry.

The NYTimes article muddles the terms hijra, transgender, and transsexual, but no worries! The leading newspaper in the US may not be informative enough for you but this meager blog will soon provide you handy definitions. Coming soon :)

BBC

Press conference with Rose

2 gays and a Muslim...

Not really queer news or desi news, but something in between- The US soap, As the World Turns has an interesting storyline. A Muslim from Iraq, Ameera, has been introduced into the lives of gay couple Duke and Noah. So I kinda get what the writers are trying to do: show that 1) gay people and Muslims can be friends and 2) all Muslims aren’t against homosexuality. Knowing that many will tune in to see how Ameera is represented in the soap, I wonder how the surprise of her friendship with Duke and Noah will sit with Muslim viewers, both gay and straight. No matter what individual opinions are, I think that we will all agree that some of the trio's interactions are SOOO AWKWARD!

And if you are really intrigued, you can watch the whole story of how they met.

Do you take this man...

Now that gay civil unions and marriages are becoming more prevalent (in some countries more than others, ahem ahem), here are the top 10 rules for the big day!

1) On the day of a gay wedding, it's bad luck for the two grooms to see each other at the gym.
2) Superstition suggests that, for good luck, the couple should have: Something bold, something flirty, something trashy, something dirty.
3) It's customary at gay and lesbian nuptials for the parents to have an open bar during the ceremony.
4) Gay wedding tradition dictates that both grooms refrain from eating any of the wedding cake because it's all carbs and sugar.
5) It's considered bad luck for either of the grooms to have dated the priest.
6) During the first dance, it's considered unlucky to use glow sticks, flags, whistles or hand held lasers.
7) For good luck at the union of a drag queen, the bouquet is always thrown in the face of a hated rival.
8) the reception hall must have a disco ball and at least one go-go dancer.
9) the wedding singer is not allowed to play/sing Let's Hear It For the Boy, It's Raining Men or I Will Survive.
10) the father of the Bottom has to pay for everything!

Haha, but all joking aside, the UK soap Emmerdale will be making headlines next week as the first primetime soap gay wedding takes place. And one of the grooms-to-be is half-Indian actor Matthew Bose's character, Paul Lambert! Bose, who is gay in real life, says "I'm proud it's Emmerdale that got there first. Shows like ours have a great responsibility to show things as they change and be cutting edge." The wedding, however, is considered a desperate attempt to keep the gay relationship together, as the character Paul has recently had a steamy one-night stand with a straight married man, creating an interesting gay love triangle.

I'm proud we'll have the first primetime gay soap wedding