of doubt about how he could do his
priestly duties, which he was proud of and believed in, with also being gay,
which he was also proud of and believed in. So for people who are really
formally religious, this evolution of the Mormons might point to some
interesting lessons.
Vikram
The Hindustan Times and Times of India both featured pieces on the Naz India
case as lead op/ed pieces to mark the 3rd anniversary this week. The HT piece
is by Gautam Bhan, the ToI piece by me. I specifically link the archaic nature
of 377 to the archaic laws that ACP Dhoble is digging as
A link to a long piece from Slate.com, but very well worth reading because it
will strike many resonances with people here. The piece is about the exposure
in the early 1960s of a massive organised criminal racket, involving crooked
police officers (or criminals pretending to be them) in the US
The formal mail will follow, but here's a quick heads up for all the many fans
of GB's Film Club Screenings. Next Sunday, July 22, we'll be having one at our
usual venue at National College in Bandra, from 1.30-8 pm. I will try and post
the list of films by tomorrow, but I can confirm that one
Apologies, I had hoped to finalise the films for this coming Sunday's GB Film
Screenings, but just yesterday a friend gave me some very new and little seen
films for the screening, and I'm still working my way through them. But one
which I saw is definite or the first film because. while in
me know and I'll send a list of the ones we are looking for,
thanks!
Vikram
Vinit Béléy posted in Gay Bombay Vinit Béléy 23 July 00:41 Today's GB
Film Fest was the best GB Film fest I've experienced. It was so supah
amazing!! I'm really proud of the team behind it!! ♥ to all!! The things
This column by Jai Arjun Singh should draw up some memories, even if we didn't
collect the He-Man dolls. But how many of us had a crush on him? Or did you go
for Skeletor instead? Or that hunky captain?
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/he-man-nostalgia/480332/
I'm guessing that even the least sporting inclined among us here is watching
the Olympics, even if India is crashing out almost completely. The reason of
course is - Hot Bodies! In Skin-tight Lycra Singlets, or even less.
I mean, did you see the Tom Daley photos? Since he's Brit at a Brit
Congratulations to Akkai for getting this honour. I hope the judges who are
deciding the 377 case take note! As it happens, in addition to all her other
excellent work, Akkai helped recruit the mothers of two Bangalore based
transgenders to sign the parents petition that we filed in the Supreme
angles?
Vikram
!) who are on these lists,
Vikram
!
Vikram
or downloaded films.
For those who don't know where National College is, a formal mail will follow
giving the details.
See you on Sunday!
Vikram
a
little to do with this anticipation...) But what do others feel? Is Karan's
coyness getting tiresome and maybe even regressive? Or is it just cool and
maybe even impactful?
Vikram
This excellent piece from Slate.com shows how lgbt activists and supporters in
the US managed to turn around a long losing streak on gay marriage with today's
hands down win. It comes down to making human connections with people, talking
about common human issues rather than just demanding
Alex Ross is the New Yorker's music critic and a wonderful writer. If you have
any interest in Western classical music - or even if you have not much
interest, but like good writing - you should read his history of 20th century
Western classical music, The Rest is Noise.
Ross is also openly
It isn't just the Obama re-election, which most LGBT people are likely to have
supported, other than the Staunchly Selfish Queens (hey, there Jimmyji!) But
its also the slew of other victories across the country in all kinds of other
races:
- Tammy Baldwin won the US Senate seat from
Hello,
A friend runs a great non-profit aimed at helping to improve living conditions
of domestic workers (or maids) in Mumbai through social enterprise.
His project 'Maid in India' provides training and employment to maids, along
with a benefits package that covers health and life insurance,
will have to come
from the bench before then, and let us all fervently hope that it is the kind
of verdict we are waiting for!
Vikram
be surprised he pulled off
what he did with his inauguration poem.
Vikram
PS: If you don't have time to read the piece, just check this video where he
delivers a poem called Queer Theory according to my Grandmother'' that
encapsulates much of it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4juDXCNtH0
The Justice Verma Committee, consisting of ex Chief Justice of India J.S.Verma,
retired Justice Leela Seth (first woman chief justice of a High Court) and
retired Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam has just submitted its report in
the case of the horrific gang rape and murder in Delhi. It has
William Saletan on Slate.com, always a thoughtful writer and one willing to
pick at easy positions, has posted this interesting piece on why sexual
preferences like Bondage and SM will always remain subcultures and not
becoming mainstream in the way that being gay or lesbian is becoming
Here are the details for the films to be screened at the GB Film Screening
tomorrow. Brief descriptions, plus some links if you want to get more
information.
As always, the film screenings will be at National College in Bandra. If you're
coming for the first time, just get off at Bandra
A really beautifully written piece where a gay Italian boy talks about his
family, food and coming out through constructing a ABC. What sort of ABCs could
people here write?
The link, and some of the letters:
An excellent list to get the same week when one of my closest friends from
Mumbai got his green card. He started transitioning from female to male a
couple of years back and got married last year to his partner of five years in
San Francisco (totally legal, since she's a woman and by then he
This ad from Fastrack watches has just released. The support is admirable, I
guess, but it would have been nice if the women seemed less likely to have been
selected from the point of view of titillating straight men. What do people
think? :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmk9D53G6F8
...for no other reason than that its cute and charming and why do we need
excuses to post pix of two hot guys kissing anyway. What is a bit odd is that
both these guys, who are British actors, are I think straight and they are both
at the launch of a film they acted in where they were best
The Parliament of New Zealand has just passed the same sex marriage bill - and
not just passed it, but passed it by a huge margin of 77 to 44. It now just
needs to formality of Royal Assent to become law and for marriages to start. So
for all the guys here who have looked at those sexy NZ
Last mail on the New Zealand same sex marriage vote, I promise, but I had to
post this. As more and more countries pass lgbt rights bills there are more and
more videos of the news when the vote passes or the result is announced and
everyone breaks out cheering and dancing. There was one from
Court may make watching porn a non-bailable offence
By Vikram Doctor, ET Bureau | 21 Apr, 2013, 05.05AM IST
A plaintiff has requested the Supreme Court to make watching porn a
non-bailable offence. Should the courts leave these matters to private
choices?A plaintiff has requested the Supreme Court
France passed same sex marriage yesterday. This has been one of the most
puzzling and contentious votes, which no one was expecting.
French friends of mine have been totally shocked at the level of protest and
violence that has come out against the bill, even though polls show the
majority
OK, this isn't gay, but it does involve a gay icon. Here is Rekha (and Urmila)
pitching for Snickers chocolate bar. Is it offensive to women? Is there a
gender bending angle that is rather camp? Is it just brilliant use of Rekha's
difficult diva image? Is it so over the top its really cool?
Asghar Ali Engineer, who has just passed away in Mumbai, has been much lauded
for his efforts in trying to promote progressive Muslim viewpoints and ensure
interfaith dialogues on a number of issues. And this included attitudes towards
homosexuality when, after the Delhi High Court gave its
Ramki has posted links to the story on the problems Indian transmen face when
they want to get their breasts removed - in contrast to the relative ease with
which Angelina Jolie seems to have had her double mastectomies done. This is
not to diminish her decision or the reasons she did it, but
There have been plenty of stories in the media to mark the 60th anniversary of
the first ascent of Mt.Everest. And quite a few have noted that the only
(British) survivor is Jan Morris, the celebrated travel writer and journalist,
who was the Times of London's 'embedded' reporter. Most other
I don't know if people are getting this Google Doodle on their computers - I
don't seem to be getting it on mine here in Mumbai. But its worth checking out
since its one of the most elaborate and beautifully executed Google Doodles I
have ever seen, and it happens to be for the birthday of a
-loving-greeting-her-husband.html#slide_ss_0=1
The meaning of Loving
Vikram
Doctor, Mumbai, 14/5/2008
Loving
vs.Virginia is one of those names that you could not invent. Because this
landmark legal case from 1967 in which the US Supreme Court unanimously struck
down laws against interracial marriage
people rights does
not negatively affect the rights of straight people. These are two crucial
points that are at the heart of what we are fighting for and have argued in the
Supreme Court in India, so let us hope our Court takes note.
Vikram
Manil Suri and I had companion pieces in today's Sunday Times of India's
Special Report on the US Supreme Court decision on same sex marriage and also
on what an amazing - but in a few places depressing - couple of months it has
been for lgbt rights and what, hopefully, the Indian Supreme Court
Court? Or the regressive, fear-driven path being
taken by Africa, Russia and parts of Eastern Europe? The
trend of our Supreme Court, towards expanding justice for all, would
seem to make that answer clear.
Vikram Doctor
-police-prithviraj
http://www.rediff.com/movies/slide-show/slide-show-1-south-i-had-no-qualms-playing-a-gay-cop-prithviraj/20130528.htm
http://www.rediff.com/movies/review/south-review-mumbai-police-is-impressive/20130506.htm
Vikram
Hello, Posting this for a friend.
Queer Azadi Mumbai (QAM) is willing to consider a play on 377 courtroom
litigation we have had so far in the Supreme Court. I would like it to be a
mocumentry musical with Tg and hijra community being the narrators through song
and dance, cusses and curses, to
High Court
judgment which fully accepted that sexuality is a basic part of who we are and
not something that can or should be shut away in private. Let us hope the
Supreme Court judges accept this to and don't follow the sort of reasoning that
the judge in Singapore did.
Vikram
GB announces the latest in its always super popular
series of free film screenings – and seriously SUPER popular, at the last
screening we had not only every seat in the around 100 seater auditorium full,
but every step and bit of floor space taken up. So make sure you come early to
get a place
.
Have you had any experiences like this which you can share?
Vikram
An excellent piece from Michael Specter that is also worth reading for the
comments at the end that carry on the discussion in very honest and
illuminating ways. Also worth reading is the NYT piece that prompted Specter's
piece. Here are the links:
Many people are asking when theSupreme Court will be delivering its verdict in
the Naz India case. And the judgment is clearly nea, since Justice Singhvi who,
we are assuming is writing it, retires in the middle of next week. Tomorrow is
a court holiday for the Delhi elections, and the case
And as we wait for the SC verdict, what better way to divert ourselves than
this fascinating study on which US states are the largest... on a parameter of
some interest for these lists.
http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/12/03/which-state-is-the-biggest/
I know one Indian gay guy who was in North
this is speculation so I'm going to stop. There's really nothing to do now
other than wait and hope!
Vikram
Listed for tomorrow. Say your prayers (if you believe) tonight.
Here's a link to an article I did in Sunday Times of India that tries to get
straight men to look at the world from a gay viewpoint for a moment...
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/stoi/deep-focus/What-straight-men-can-learn-from-gays/articleshow/27054410.cms
What straight men can learn
Just received word. They've sent it to Parliament, where it will probably
remain indefinitely. DIsappointing, though not the worst outcome.
Supreme Court cause lists out and we are not listed for tomorrow. That means
Wednesday or never.
The judge iss actually hearing a case involving the Indian Body Building and
Fitness Federation and not us! Couldn't he at least have clubbed us with them?!
Vikram
Today, 28th Jan, the Supreme Court
will decide on whether to review the shameful decision written by Justice
Singhvi in Koushal vs.Naz.
The Court has been urged to do this by a huge
outpouring of voices from the public expressed through mainstream and social
media, in India and abroad, by
This is from NDTV - the SC bench of Justices Dattu and Mukhopadhaya have
apparently rejected the review petitions filed by the government and by LGBTQ
groups and their supporters. Its as expected, but still disappointing.
Vikram Seth has just written a poem that is perhaps the most powerful, moving
and fitting response to both the Supreme Court's decision to recriminalise
LGBTQ people, and its refusal yesterday to reconsider this. The last line says
as much as longer articles and op/ed pieces would. He has
This is a really well researched story of what happened in Hassan recently done
by Lester Feder of BuzzFeed with the help of on the ground work done by
Bangalore based activists. The story was only lightly reported in the national
media and a lot of the nuances and details were missed out. When
A bit belated, but BIG CONGRATULATIONS to all our trans friends and members of
these lists for the
NALSA verdict.
I think its a particular point of pride for us in Mumbai that people we know
well like Laxmi were petitioners in NALSA. From the little I know
about the case, it was Laxmi's
Curatives to be heard in open court!
Judges accepted our request
for an open court hearing of the curatives. There will probably be a
date given next week, but after that the recess starts, so then it will
continue after. Judges will be Lodha, who is the next CJI, Dattu and
Mukhopadhaya (who
- Justice Anne Clair Williams jokes that that tactic isn't
going to win.
Its amazing. Listen and weep for what judges unlike Mukhopadhaya and Singhvi
can be like.
Vikram
Goolam Vahanvati, the ex-Attorney General of India passed away yesterday from a
heart attack. He was much in the news in the last years of the previous
government particularly for having to defend some dubious legal decisions. But
what should matter to us is that he was a supporter of
regretted the involvement. In the end, however it played out, it was
a generous gesture and well received and the goodwill it created on both sides
was the really important legacy.
Vikram
When queer Indian kids come out to their parents they sometimes say that one of
the problems they had is they didn't have the words to explain the concept of
being queer to their parents in the language they speak. What words they could
think of often had negative connotations which they felt
Here are two recent attempts to take on homophobes which are worth seeing,
though this first one is frankly a bit of a train wreck:
Check Out This Irish Senator's Awesome Smack Down of Russia's Anti-gay
Propaganda Ban: VIDEO |News | Towleroad
Check Out This Irish Senator's Awesome Smack
A piece by me in response to Tim Cook's coming out:
Will Singapore, India continue to disregard LGBT rights?
Will Singapore, India continue to disregard LGBT rights?
As multinationals become quiet advocates for equal rights for LGBTs how long
will investment and technology hungry
Pacific, Shirley Baskett - and publicise
their involvement if you come across it. And for real evidence of how twisted
and harmful these people are, don't just read the story, but also the extensive
discussion in the comments after it.
Vikram
Australia's anti-gay churches shift focus
This recording of a RedFM show is really worth listening to because the host
manages to connect with the wife who filed a S.377 case against her husband
when she learned he was gay.
https://soundcloud.com/redfm-bengaluru/disha-oberoi-explores-section-377
There has been quite a lot
When the Supreme Court upheld Section 377 one of the immediate reactions was
that this was a shocking case of the court empowering blackmailers. Throughout
its history S.377 - and similar laws across the world - has been used extremely
successfully to extort money from gay men who are too
An interesting article from the excellent online news magazine Scroll.in on how
children's and young adult books in India are starting to include lgbt
characters:
Gay characters, single-parent families: Books for Indian kids begin to reflect
real life
Gay characters, single-parent
character. In its low key, comedy
focussed way, this is quite a revolutionary show.
Revealing more details will require spilling plot twists, so I won't (though if
you can't wait look up the recaps on sites like The Backlot). Just try to find
a way to download and watch it!
Vikram
In advance of Children's Day on November 14th, the Indian Express' Sunday
supplement published a collection of letters from parents to their children.
This is a particularly moving one from a mother to her queer son. (Please
consider posting comments about it. All too often we leave online
This is just to tell everyone to mark their calendars for Sunday November 30th
when GB will be having one of its super popular Film Club screenings. It will
be happening, as usual, at National College in Bandra from around 1.30 pm to 8
pm. This is a free event, but entrance is restricted to
Just in case you ever happen to be photographed in an intimate position with
someone of the same sex and happen to need to explain it away you might want to
use this masterful explanation from Vivek Mishra, who seems to be someone
intent on making himself a celebrity by becoming India's first
Pearls Before Swine, an engagingly offbeat comic strip that runs in Mumbai
Mirror, recently had this strip which referred to a LGBT sandwich (thanks to
the lag that Indian newspapers run comics, the strip came out in September, but
only ran here this month):Pearls Before Swine by Stephan
This very well written piece brings up a subject that matters to most
middle-class Indians - the servants who are the ubiquitous, if often
un-acknowledged parts of our lives:
http://www.ndtv.com/article/blogs/a-hole-in-the-heart-of-my-family-641504
It reminded me of a piece I wrote some years
Gay Bombay, Queer Ink and the Hive present the Queers Pets meet!
As we recover from an amazing Pride 2015 Gaybombayhas a fun and interesting
meeting lined up for this Sunday @ The Hive, Khar:the first Queers Pets Meet!
Anyone who knows queer people know how we love ouranimal friends. Dogs,
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