Bollywood Tackles LGBT Rights

by Michael Jones · 2009-08-05 07:10:00 UTC
Topics:

Bollywood LGBT rights

Last month, the Delhi High Court in India threw out Section 377, a statute in India's penal codes that criminalized homosexuality.  The decision was roundly celebrated by LGBT rights activists and public health activists.  (And roundly criticized by opponents of LGBT rights, and conservative religious sects.)

In the wake of that decision, Bollywood has been outspoken in its support for LGBT rights, and overthrowing the statute that up until last month, criminalized homosexuality for India's roughly 70 million LGBT folks.  To be sure, the status of Section 377 is still in a bit of limbo.  The Supreme Court of India has asked the government to weigh in on the matter, and up until now the government has remained largely silent.

But Bollywood has not been quiet in their support.  A well known Indian court drama, "Yeh Chanda Kanoon Hai," is going to feature an episode focusing on LGBT rights, and a number of high profile celebrities have come out in support of the Delhi High Court's decision, and have urged Indian authorities to enact a full repeal of Section 377 across the country.  Here are a few of our favorite Bollywood quotes on Section 377:

Celina Jaitley: "It's a turning point in the history of human rights in the world's largest democracy.  It's also a personal victory for me since I've been fighting for gay rights. Now they can walk with their heads held high. This is a new beginning."

Mahesh Bhatt: "This is a defining moment in the history of free India. No government has the right to tell its citizens when or whom to love. The only ‘queer’ people are those who propagate hate."

Upen Patal: "I think it's a great move forward by the government and for Indian society. Everyone should have the right to choose whom they want to be without the fear of being labeled a criminal."

And those are just a select few.  To see scores more quotes from Bollywood, click here.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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