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From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Some of us have drafted a letter of protest to the Principal of St. Joseph's College of Communication in Changanassery, which has recently expelled five students for making a film on homosexuality. I have attached the final petition to this email. If you would like to sign on to the petition, please send an email with your name and designation, if any, to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or please email me so I can add your name to the petition. Thanks Siddharth - ---------------------------- * Please go through the following petition. If you do wish to sign on, please send an email, with your name and designation, if any, to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To, The Principal St. Josephs College of Communication, Changanassery Dear Maam/Sir, Re: Students expelled for making film on homosexuality. We are deeply disturbed at the expulsion of five students from your institution on the ground that they made a film that explores homosexual themes. The film titled Secret Minds, as you are aware, is a short film on homosexuality made as an entry for the competition section of an inter-college short film festival in Thiruvananthapuram. According to newspaper reports the management of your institution felt that the film, by portraying homosexuality had transgressed the limits of decency and moral values that your institution stood for. We, the undersigned, find these reasons completely unacceptable, and would like to express our shock and outrage at your action. Homosexuality in India is a topic that is taboo and is largely left out of public discourse. However, as you may be aware, there is a growing movement for the rights of sexual minorities in this country, which argues that all persons irrespective of their sexual orientation and gender identity have the right to live with dignity. In fact, the constitutional validity of the law criminalizes homosexuality in India is currently under challenge before the Delhi High Court. The acts of your institution have effectively censored a film on homosexuality, thus repudiating a certain way of life and denying homosexuals and other sexual minorities validation of their lifestyles through public portrayal and constituting an official condemnation of homosexuality. Historically, it is the incursions of the State into free speech that has been guarded against by academic institutions, film-makers, and artists. Instead, your institution by its actions has sought to act as the State and arbitrarily impose its own moral values in censoring this film. Merely because your institution is of the opinion that homosexuality is immoral it does not entitle your to censor the portrayal of homosexuality thus curtailing any debate or discussion around the issue. Furthermore, the invocation of the arbitrary standard of obscenity or indecency cannot be a legitimate reason for such an action, as this only becomes another reason to stifle debate and censor expression. It is the responsibility of an institution like yours to create a space that allows for the articulation of opinions that it may not agree with. It is only by pushing the limits of what is sayable and unsayable that such a space can be created. We believe that the actions of your institution in expelling these students for exercising their freedom of expression is completely unjustified and undermines the creation of such a space. As an academic institution, and particularly as a media and communications school, we believe that it is essential that your institution encourage diverse points of view and modes of expression. Academic growth and excellence can only be achieved in a space that is open to different ideas, where there is a culture of creativity and where people are not afraid to openly express themselves, and it is your institutions duty to ensure that such an atmosphere is cultivated. However, your institutions acts in expelling these students can only destroy the possibility of creating such an atmosphere and harms the reputation of your institution as a centre of academic excellence. As an institution that is training future film makers and media artists, your action in expelling these students undermines the role of film makers and artists who have always acted as guardians of the limits of free speech. Furthermore, what is extremely shocking is the disproportionate and arbitrary punishment given to the students. It is disturbing that your institutions response to the portrayal of homosexuality has been so vicious and brutal. We condemn your decision, demand that you reconsider your actions and reinstate the expelled students. * If you do wish to sign on, please send an email, with your name and designation, if any, to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Annexure http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/apr282007/national222552007427.asp Deccan Herald, 28 April, 2007 * 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. 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 expression. 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. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.6 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQFGREdaF+jWtLmEaycRAlOkAJwO/MQhRjJyAGSxSNR4wI4yGpA9EgCeOo50 1UtZW0DfvwSMEn/eL8neb5M= =TvwI -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ 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] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
