PADMAAVAT: Ranveer Singh and Jim Sarbh’s Queer Tale is a Milestone in Hindi Cinema.

It’s quite applaudable that a mainstream hero like Ranveer Singh played the queer character without any reluctance ( in an industry where actors reject roles of gay characters) and he will be praised forever for this landmark performance in Padmaavat. This was undoubtedly the best performance of his career. Singh was completely into it, enjoying his role and playing the the most aggressive villains ever. Bhansali has broken the stereotypes through his film and this is a major breakthrough in Hindi Cinema. The handsome Jim Sarbh deserves much more acclamation for his remarkable performance in movie Padmaavat.

When Malik Kafur (played by Jim Sarbh) is revealed to Khilji, it’s love and lust at first sight. Bhansali doesn’t try to hide their special connection in Padmaavat.  He reveals it with bold gesture, including a scene with suggested oral sex between the two men.

 

This love affair has also been documented in many books including Tarikh-e-Firozshahi. It is also believed that Khilji had about 50,000+ beardless boys in his harem at height of his empire. It is in the history books that Khilji had a soft corner for beardless boys. Malik Kafur’s beauty made him a slave for a 1000 dinars during the conquest for Gujrat. Kaful soon rose through the ranks and became a deputy ruler by enamoring Khilji. 

 

-admin@GayRightIndia

 

 

MGWI 2018: Elegance, Talent and Hotness!

Mr. Gay World India 2018 was recently organized at a Mumbai hotel. At first, out of 50 contestants, five finalists were selected. The process of selection included series of rounds like the photo shoot, written test, panel interview etc.

Kolkata’s Samarpan Maiti grabbed the title of Mr. Gay World India 2018 while Ashish Chopra from Nagpur secured the first runner-up title. Their story is an inspiration for millions of Indian gay men.

These are the top 5 aesthetic and sophisticated men of MGWI 2018.

1. Samarpan Maiti (Winner)

SAMARPAN MAITI

 

2. Ashish Chopra

(1st Runner Up) Award for the talent round.

Miss World India 2006 , Ms. Natasha Suri who we all have watched and adored in Bollywood films as well as On Indian TV along with Ms. Rohini Ramnathan awarding ASHISH CHOPRA with the Sub award for the talent round.

ASHISH CHOPRA

3. Debendra Nath Sanyal

(2nd Runner Up) People’s Choice Award

Mr. India 2005 Viraf Patel along with Ms. Rohini Ramnathan presenting Debendra Nath Sanyal with the people’s choice sub award.

 

4. Chirag Gosar

(3rd runner up)  Mr. Congeniality Award

Ms. Diandra Soares and Mr. Sushant Divgikar along with Ms. Rohini Ramnathan awarding CHIRAG GOSHAR with the Mr. Congeniality sub award.

CHIRAG GOSAR

5. Amitabh Das

(4th Runner up) Social media campaign challenge Award.

Tv actress Twinkle Vashisht , Ms. Tourism India International 2018 Anjusha Bhattacharya and Ms. Rohini Ramnathan awarding AMITABH DAS with the Social media campaign challenge sub award.

 

The story and struggle witnessed by them is a source of an inspiration for many. Maiti who hails from a middle-class family is a senior researcher in cancer drug discovery from an institute in Kolkata. When he was 19 years old his father passed away after which one of his friends took over all his responsibility. He told media that he has always received strange reactions from the society because of his orientation. Maiti will now represent the country at the world stage in Mr. Gay world in South Africa this year.

Ashish Chopra currently working as a recruiter in Wipro also has a similar story. He came to terms about his orientation when he was in the first year of BBA in Symbiosis. The road was never smooth for the duo, both of them had to struggle hard to convince their family about their orientation.After winning the titles they are positive about the changes in the society and hopes that LGBTQ community will get their rights someday.

MGWI 2018 says: one needs to accept themselves as they are.

Courtesy : MGWI

IIT Bombay Engineer Marries Boyfriend in Maharashtra

A US-based Indian engineer, Hrishi Mohankumar Sathawane married his Vietnamese partner, Vinh, in his hometown in Maharastra’s Yavatmal in a traditional vedic wedding ceremony.

Hrishi Sathawane (40) who now lives in Fremont, California and Vinh, a Vietnamese, met in October 2016 through an online dating website and got engaged in April last year. Hrishi graduated from IIT-Powai in 1997 and is US green card holder.

Hrishi’s parents opposed him when he told them that he wanted to get married in Yavatmal. But he was firm and came to Yavatmal in the last week of December. He then booked a hotel for a get-together. An estimated 70-80 people including around 10 gay couples gathered there in the evening on December 30 for the marriage.

 

Talking about why he chose to get married in Yavatmal, he said, “I was born and brought up here. A lot of my friends are here. If I had a wedding in the US how would I have shared my happiness with them?”

“It’s simple, if two people fall in love, and they want to live their life together, without bothering anyone, I don’t see why should anybody have an objection to that,” Mr Sathawane.

Ancient Indians were open-minded, he added, and we have proof in the form of temple carvings and literature. “We need to claim our culture back,” he said.

Congratulations to the handsome couple!

Prince Manvendra Singh opens his palace to LGBT people

‘I want to give people social and financial empowerment, so eventually people who want to come out won’t be affected. They will have their own social security system,’ says prince.

Indian prince Manvendra Singh Gohil, who is the son and probable heir of the Maharaja of Rajpipla in Gujarat, has opened up his 15-acre palace grounds to vulnerable LGBT people and is said to be constructing more buildings to house visitors. He will run the centre with his organisation The Lakshya Trust.

The royal, who was ostracised by his family after coming out publicly in 2006, started the community based organisation to support gay men and educate people about the prevention of HIV/Aids.

Speaking to the International Business Times, the prince said he was keen to empower people with the social security system they need to ensure they are not left with nothing if their families disown them after coming out.

“If I could undergo these problems then any other gay person could face a similar situation,” he said.

“In India, we have a family system and we are mentally conditioned to be with our parents. The moment you try to come out you are told you will be thrown out and society will boycott you. You become a social outcast. A lot of people are financially dependent on their parents.”

 “I want to give people social and financial empowerment, so eventually people who want to come out won’t be affected. They will have their own social security system. It won’t make a difference if they are disinherited.”

He has been the subject of BBC series Undercover Princes – a 2009 reality TV show which took three royals from their respective cultures and put them in Brighton where they were forced to “live and date”.

Prince Manvendra’s charity provides counselling, clinical services and support groups to thousands of men who have sex with men. Many of the men in question have yielded to cultural burdens to marry women despite their sexuality. The prince himself was forced into marriage in 1991 but has since said the relationship was “a total disaster”. It resulted in divorce the following year.

Prince Manvendra, who had a highly traditional and conservative upbringing, appeared as a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show back in 2007. He was one of three persons featured on the show titled “Gay Around the World”, saying he does not regret coming out and that he thinks the people living in his state admire him for the leading role he has taken in preventing and educating about HIV/Aids.

In August 2017, The Supreme Court declared freedom of sexual orientation a fundamental right which leads the way for decriminalizing homosexuality in India.

Supreme Court Agrees to Revisit Section 377

In June of 2016, some high-profile LGBT celebrities had petitioned the Supreme Court to quash section 377 , which criminalises homosexuality. In response to that, the Supreme Court has agreed to review Section 377 and referred the case to a larger Bench.

A five judge Bench is already considering a curative petition filed by Naz Foundation.

That petition was filed by chef Ritu Dalmia, hotelier Aman Nath and dancer N.S. Johar, who had  sought protection of their sexual rights on the ground that it is an integral part of the fundamental right to life.

The petition had said, “The petitioners are not seeking protection only as sexual minorities but recognition of characteristics that inhere to all human beings. A right to sexuality, sexual autonomy and freedom to choose a sexual partner forms the cornerstone of human dignity which is protected under Article 21 of the Constitution,”

The court noted the arguments of senior advocate Arvind Datar, who appeared for the petitioners, that Section 377 IPC is not a reasonable restriction on the fundamental right to choice.

Initially, the Bench seemed reluctant, because a five judge Bench is already considering a curative petition by Naz against 2013 verdict. Mr. Datar, however prevailed, saying while Naz is an NGO, he is representing petitioners. not the Naz foundation.

The three-judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra decided to revisit its December 2013 verdict.

The apex court said a section of people cannot live in fear of the law which atrophies their right to choice and natural sexual inclinations. It said societal morality changes with time and law should walk and change pace with life.

It added that “the determination of order of nature is not a common phenomenon. Individual autonomy and individual natural inclination cannot be atrophied unless the restrictions are determined as reasonable.”

The court observed that what is natural for one may not be natural for the other, but the confines of law cannot trample or curtail the inherent rights embedded with an individual under Article 21 (right to life) of the Constitution.

“Right to choose my partner is part of my fundamental right to privacy,” Mr. Datar submitted.

“But the privacy judgment says sexual partner means a natural partner,” Chief Justice Misra countered.

“Who my ‘natural’ partner should be is my choice,” Mr. Datar responded.

Chief Justice Misra then said Section 377 also criminalises beastiality. “What about carnal intercourse with animals?” the CJI asked.

“We are not on that part. Our petition is only about criminalising consensual sex between adults of the same sex,” Mr. Datar replied.

 

The relook comes months after some judges on a nine-judge Constitution Bench, which had held Right to Privacy as a fundamental right, denounced discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.