Thank you for forwarding this report. I think it is outrageous and that there should be widespread protests against the college's action. Someone should file a public interest petition against the college concerned and one should publicise this widely, condemning both the college's homophobia and their blatant misuse of their power.
G. Arunima On 5/3/07, aryakrishnan ramakrishnan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > FYI > > can Herald <http://www.deccanhe rald.com/> » > National<http://www.deccanhe rald.com/ deccanherald/ apr282007/ national. > asp>» > Detailed Story > * > > * Students expelled for making film on homosexuality * > From R Gopakumar DH News Service Thiruvananthapuram: > > A Catholic Church-run mass communications college in Kottayam has stirred > a > hornet's nest by expelling five students for making a film on > homosexuality. > > The students are all fourth semester BA (multimedia) students of the St > Joseph's College of Communications at Changanassery. > > The incident brings alive the raging worldwide debate on homosexuality to > the church circles in Kerala. > <http://www.online. citibank. co.in/portal/ citiinforms. jsp?form_ > id=newnriappform &Site=deccanhera ld&Creative= copybanner& > Section=ROS& Agency_Code= DBS&Campaign_ Code=RCAO& Product_Code= > RCA&eOfferCode= DCHCB180> > Neither the expelled students nor the authorities were readily willing to > comment. Prathyush, one of the expelled students, told Deccan Herald that > four of them had acted in the five-minute short film titled Secret Minds. > > The film depicting homosexuality was directed by an MA (film and TV) > student > Jeo Baby. He claimed that it was mainly intended for an inter-collegiate > film festival here. > > The college management, however, felt that the film had transgressed the > limits of decency and moral values that the college stood for and would > have > misled youths. The college authorities further said that the students > misused the campus and college hostel premises for making the film and had > also acted entirely nude in it. The management made clear its stand in the > showcause notice issued to the students. The students were first served a > showcause notice on March 23 and 27 and later expelled on April 2 on > finding > that their replies were unsatisfactory. > > However, Prathyush who was the only student willing to speak denied these > allegations and said that they had exercised only their freedom of > ex-pression. The film was also well within the confines of the course to > which they were admitted. Also, they had acted only partially nude as > required by the script. > > "In any case, the film was not for public viewing but for a specific > festival audience. They are just creating unnecessary fuss," he said. > > The students registered a complaint against the college with the Mahatma > Gandhi University's grievance cell and also forwarded the notice which > contained the charges against them. > > When contacted, college director Fr Sebastian refused to comment saying > the > issue was not over and was "undergoing certain processes". > > However, experts see the incident as an offshoot of the lack of > theological > guidance in the Church on the issue of homosexuality. > > > > -- G. Arunima Associate Professor Women's Studies Programme School of Social Sciences Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi 110067 Tel: 01126704178 (dir) 01126704166(off) Email:[EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ greenyouth mailinglist is the activist support mailinglist for kerala run by Global Alternate Information Applications (GAIA) To post to this group, send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
