Gay men arrested in Lucknow

[FT]

There are plenty of things that rile me on a daily basis, there are also plenty that give me comfort.



Here's one for that continues to rile me for a long time.



Are we Indians so freaking insecure about our sexuality?



Arrest of gay men in Lucknow reminds me acutely that it is not about homosexuality. This is about intolerence. This is about inability to accept notions that don't conform to accepted popular opinion.



Why the hell do we allow our nation's administrative resources to be used in persecuting gay men, young couples in love in parks, or for such completely non-value adding objectives.



Or is it that in this instance, we as a nation and a culture really think homosexuality is such a big deal and evil that we do need to invest resources to disallow it's acceptance into mainstream.

[It]

Koi pehchaanaat ke the kya?

[FT]

Haan. They were fellow Indians.

[It]

I cannot understand how you can be so bothered about something like that. Let them do whatever they want.

[FT]

At stake is more than the rights of the gays



At core is the issue of corrupting influence of power and seeming callous attitude we Indians in general have towards situations that reflect deeper malaise.



In our greener years, many of us have had encounters with rotten cousins of men in khaki, who's authoritative and unreasonable demeanor in our most vulnerable moments had caused us much anguish and embarrassment.



Still remember many years back, exploring a rock jutting out into Hussein Sagar with a girl friend of mine. Turning around, we encountered two pot bellied, lathi weilding, khaki clad chaps insisting that we were upto something illegal and a certain compensation would adequately assuage them about our guiltless state.



Luckily for us, we had driven up in a car, and the equations were probably in our favor. Lesser mortals in the hierarchy of copdom, these two jokers blinked. Possibly assuming a car equalled money and money equalled possible connections, they balked and allowed us to intimidate them in turn.



But that very notion of staring into the face of unjustified authority, unreasonably threatening my sense of self and stealing my freedoms.



That, my friend, is what I am truly against.



As for the sexuality of these folks, it is their bloody birthright to be who they are. No one has the right to take away the pride and your freedoms away from you when you are within the scope of laws as laid by sane human minds, and contemporary collective but enlightened thought.



It would be equivalent of someoone barging into your home because you and your wife indulge in oral sex, because that is not defined as a legal form of activity per certain archaic Indian laws. You will not appreciate but probably find yourself helpless, because you and your fiancee walk in a park and cops decide that certain archaic laws can be applied to put up in dock.



In India we certainly have bigger fish to fry, poverty, illiteracy, corruption, aids, population.



But when injustice prevails in one part of the home and we allow it to be, then it will rear it's ugly head more ominously in other forms.



As to what should you do. If you do agree, then make noise, as part of positive activism, write letters, make sure it is heard as loudly as it can be. For your voice will be heard and will echo on. This is amongst other things, the least of what you can do.



If you don't agree, try convincing as to why it is reasonable to take away someone's freedom.

[Mayavi Morpheus]

I cannot understand how you can be so bothered about something like that. Let them do whatever they want.

Its the people who should have the right to do whatever they please, within legal limits ofcourse, and not the other way around. But a 147 year old british law put in place to teach morals to paganist hindus gives the police power to do whatever they want. Since this works well for the politicians and moral police trying to impose their so called "indian culture", which changes from person to person and region to region, they dont bother to change the laws.

[CtrlAltDel]

_ nazis...

[betty]

There's hardly anything to add to what FT has already written....



Just thought of dropping a line to say that the notion taht we are a 'free' country seems to be false...freedom of speech, expression and evertyhting else is at the mercy of others who have power....it is like 'jiska lathi usika bhains'

[P|$$ed off HP]

There is more to this than meets the eye. Operation Majnu, it seems, was a planned operation which was instigated on the behest of some local VHP leaders and not a sudden vigilante reaction of the police to some subordination, as is being portrayed by the authorities.



And the media, my favourite punching bag was there to film the atrocities but did nothing to stop it. Had they done so, all they could have managed would have been a 6 minute segment in their 11pm crime shows and not a headline all day.



My analysis also points at some grassroot level vote-bank politics at play to. Imagine this...local VHP spies from different localities create a database of girls having problems at home due to affairs not being accepted at home. Not very difficult in a small north indian town where the gossip-meter runs at unbelievable speeds. The VHP neta then gets in touch with the fathers of the girls and assures them a solution to their problem. A couple of meetings of such "aggrieved" parents are convened where the neta preaches "Indian culture and values" to the gathering and promises to bring about a state of order. And then, Operation Majnu happens. Suddenly, couples are scared to meet up. The families are indebted to the neta who managed all this - a debt to be called for when the time arises. With Indian politics, its bloody easier than a Samsung to imagine.

[Vasu]

... the notion taht we are a 'free' country seems to be false...freedom of speech, expression and evertyhting else is at the mercy of others who have power....it is like 'jiska lathi usika bhains'

The award 'the most meaningful post with the fewest words possible' goes to the above.



Only the weak and meek follow the laws in India, and they suffer as consequence. There are no laws for rich and powerful. I can give you a gazillion examples, take the case of Nandamuri Balakrishna, or Paritala Ravi who is a mafia don, but law couldn't touch him. People like Krishna Yadav end up in jails, and that is more like an aberration/exception/badluck. There are so many Corporate people who skim people by public issues again and again and again. Every Cop worth his name in hyderabad owns an Independent house and spends lavishly. Same goes for Income Tax, Revenue and so many officials. And politicians are a completely different ballgame.



And this Operation Majnu, woof..., and protests against Valentine day celebrations, woof... Arresting someone because he is Gay, woof... woof...



You are good in everyway, pay all the taxes, follow all the traffic rules, do not bribe anyone, DO NOT KNOW any influential people ,CAN YOU SURVIVE IN INDIA?



India is Shining, absolutely... but please don't tell me it is because of the vision of the Governments.



it is the Individuals who made it happen despite such a hostile environment, and so many obstacles imposed by the Government. Kudos to these People.

[Whiz]

There a a billion other acts that happen that are grossly inhumane. The biggest I think are honor killings and dowry deaths. That later.



We can all sit here and b***h about these events. Or we can talk about possible solutions, propose changes that might start to address these issues. Of course whatever we blog here, it would do nothing but just remain here.



Something similar to ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) might put some kind of noose on these acts. The results could be sueing the city or the officers involved or anything that puts the ball in the people's court. If there is such an organization, then we here can contribute to that and help as much as we can.



The other option is to literally take the ball into our court. Record all the incidents that we come across, through cell phones, through camcorders, something to have a proof that what was going on was illegal.



Granted that even the hidden tapes of politicians taking bribes could do no harm to them, which could mean that we need to get more stiff on the smaller fish - the policemen, the rowdies, the local VHP activists. This would get them to know where they stand when something goes wrong.



The BIGGEST means, I believe to root out all evils is education. Use the public broadcasting to air programs that talk about our rights, our sources of help, anything that puts something in our hears apart from s**t. This would be especially helpful for rural areas. Don't teach f*****g culture or religion on these shows but have programs that talk about civil liberties, have programs that have a message. These rural people they will watch anything that is free. Instead of these stupid a*****e movie based programs, these would give a lot of information and might make the next generations a little more informed.



Electing these politicians doesn't mean our job is done. That just starts the game. Having these b*****ds accountable for their actions is the job that we need to do.



As long as we don't, nothing will be done.

[FT]

3. Gay couples getting arrested in Lucknow is shameful, says FT. We just hope they don't later take revenge on the officers!

Guys, off topic...



What is this Moderator really trying to do?



Is that supposed to be

a. funny,

b. insightful, or

c. completely bereft of any hue (or sense) as required of the moderator?

[NIGGA]

GAY PPLE!!!!!! ......EEEWW INDIAN MEN SHUD NOT BE GAY .....AHAHAHAHA

.....ARE THERE ANY GAY FOLKS IN THE FORUM.......TAKE IT EASY FOLKS ...I WOZ JUZ KIDDN......CHILL OUT!!!!!1





ONCE A HYDERABADI,ALWAYZ A HYDERABADI





NIGGA!!.........FRM HYDERABAD