Happy & GAY

In the well-guarded confines of a man-made normal world,we either cringe in denial or crack ‘queer’ jokes. Just like we’ll never get over Sardar jokes or mad Bushisms. Yes,Ben Stiller’s name,Gaylord Focker in Meet the Parents is a laughing riot. So is poor Pinu’s (Vinay Pathak) search for sexual identity in Straight – A Tedhi Medhi Love Story in the backdrop of an eatery called ‘Gaylord’. Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham amused us as the new hot couple. Puns intended are meant for this. Jokes apart,the serious side has witnessed an Indian prince come out of the closet on Oprah. Books,like those by Ruth Vanita and Saleem Kidwai research same sex love in India. Internet is the new same sex dating-matrimonial ground. International gay icons include Elton John,George Michael,Ellen DeGeneres,Michaelangelo,Walt Whitman,Oscar Wilde,Gianni Versace. Films like Milk,Philaedelphia,Fire chronicle the struggles of the ‘odd ones out’. Seeing the rising AIDS cases,even A Ramadoss suggested legalising homosexuality. So,when the Delhi High Court decriminalised homosexuality,it was time to find out whether the landmark judgment is an indicator of change; more so,acceptance.

“Our long battle is won and with pride can the gay walk with their heads held high,” cheers actress Celina Jaitly. He gave an urban acceptance to homosexuality in Dostana,and now,director Tarun Mansukhani is overjoyed. “After I made Dostana,many people came up to me and congratulated me on handling the sensitive subject with a sense of humour. I feel that once you talk about a matter in a comic sense,you free it of all the tension surrounding it. That was my objective when I made the movie and I think I have achieved the same. An elderly gentleman came to me and said I’d made a subject of taboo a dinner-table topic. This made me realize that people are more than open about discussing the subject. The fact that our Government too recognizes the same is a great achievement in itself. I am now looking forward to the welcome change in homosexual landscape of India.”

No doubt it’s a milestone in gay rights,but there are possibilities of people and organisation contending against it,director and maker of My brother…Nikhil,Onir Ban gets real. “This country has enough laws,but do we follow them? Child labour is still rampant,there’s honour killing in the name of casteism,abortion is still debatable…no matter how much legal approval it gets,homosexuals still have to break the social mindset,” points Onir,who’s working on yet another real subject – nexus between police and male sex workers and how they blackmail gay clients. ‘Being a gay’ fear factor has reduced. Closets have creaked opened,but change is yet to come. Section 377 is riddled with loopholes. The question of a third gender is yet to be clearly answered. “Human revolution doesn’t happen overnight. This is just the beginning,and the stigma will take another generation or two to wipe out,” says the controversial Girlfriend’s filmmaker Karan Razdaan. Religious beliefs,he feels,only lead to suppression,and what’s swept under the carpet rots. “This legal approval proves that you cannot constitutionally gag the rights of people,” he lauds the work of Naz Foundation,which has been fighting for seven years for this. They’ve earned a right,and a dignity. The war may be over,but the battle has just begun.