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Mughal-E-Azam is one of the most iconic films of <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword>, and the most famous song that people still remember from this 1960 movie is Jab Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya. However, when it comes to applying this song in portraying fearless homosexual relationships in Bollywood, Bollywood has sadly remained afraid to ‘come out of the closet’. 
 
We have a look at how Bollywood has portrayed homosexuals in the past 20 years, be it a brilliant portrayal or a mockery of such sensitive issue.

Sita in Fire to Rahul in Kapoor & Sons: How Bollywood has portrayed homosexuals in 20 years

<ul><li>As India marks the first anniversary of decriminalizing homosexuality on <keyword id="6362797" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="section-377">Section 377</keyword>, Rainbow Voices -- India's only LGBT choir shares their story with Business Insider India. </li><li>An-year-old Rainbow Voices is trying to break prejudices, inequality, and stereotypes by performing across the world.</li></ul> From Lady Gaga’s Born This Way to Shafaqat Amanat Ali’s Ye Hosla Kese Ruke, every Sunday, a bunch of LGBT people in Mumbai gather to practice music. For over a year, the choir Rainbow Voices has been singing <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> mixes in Mumbai. They feel it is easier to communicate through music. And, they have an important message to spread--of equality. "Through our music, we want to keep the hope of equality and justice alive in India," Rainbow Voices said. Manasi Manoj, a member of Rainbow Voices, told that their pride walks are well received. “The moment we started walking people were like “OMG ! They’re here,” They were welcoming us,they recognised we’re here,'' she said. Rainbow Voices had many small but significant victories. They helped many families accept their LGBTQ children for what they are. 
 <div type="image" title="IMG-20190904-WA0009" msid="71008689" hostid="261"></div>



 “If people can enjoy our music, why can’t they treat us as equals? Why do they deny us our rights?" asks Jnanasiddhy Bommisetty another member of the choir. A safe place Vinodh Philip and C V Mathew’s founded India's first LGBTQ choir in the summer of 2014. They realised that India needs an LGBTQ-friendly church choir in the city where people can feel safe. Within a year, they doubled their team numbers to 40. Their members are employees working 9 to 5 jobs; school students; and freelancers working from home. But they dedicate every Sunday to celebrate pride for equality to justice. 
 <div type="image" title="IMG-20190904-WA0004" msid="71008690" hostid="261"></div>



 “It is the only place where I can drop all guard, talk, laugh and trade silly lines; it gives me a sense of a community," said a member of the choir. All their concerts are completely sold out. And, they helped many members to come out of the closet to their parents. They are also the first to go abroad and perform with Pink Singers, a famous LGBT choir in London. And, they believe that they have a lot of work to do, and India has a long way to go. "Recognizing civil unions or same-sex marriages of other countries within India would be a good way to kick-start these changes,"Ashish from Rainbow Voices said.

India's only LGBT choir, Rainbow Voices from Mumbai is touring the world and fighting stereotypes

December 1st is worldwide observed as the <keyword id="34644" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="World-AIDS-Day">World AIDS Day</keyword>, to raise awareness about the deadly disease which has infected and killed millions of people worldwide and continues to do so. In honour of World <keyword id="19472" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="aids">AIDS</keyword> day, we’ve enlisted <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> movies, which did their bit to raise awareness about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). 
	 

	1. <keyword id="37967" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Phir-Milenge">Phir Milenge</keyword> 

	This is perhaps the first movie that comes to our mind when we think of Bollywood movies on AIDS. Starring Salman Khan, Shilpa Shetty and Abhishek Bachchan, it was directed by Revathi. The movie, which was releases in 2004, was appreciated by critics for strong performances and a novel way of dealing with the myths about AIDS. The movie did a business of Rs 2,99,06,142 and was declared a flop.

	Source: <a href="http://ibosnetwork.com/asp/director.asp?director=Revathi">IBOS</a> 
 

	2. My Brother… Nikhil 

	This 2005 movie was directed by Onir starred Sanjay Suri, Juhi Chawla and Purab Kohli in lead roles. It is said to be based on the story of Dominic D’Souza, an Indian AIDS activist. Suri played a homosexual swimmer who contracts HIV and finds support from his sister and partner. The performances of the star cast were appreciated by all. It The movie, made on a small budget, garnered Rs 1,20,00,094 at the box office.

	Source: <a href="http://ibosnetwork.com/asp/clsActorDisplay.asp?actor=Juhi+Chawla&amp;layout=filmography">IBOS</a> 
	 

	3. <keyword id="1233142" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="68-Pages">68 Pages</keyword>

	Directed by Sridhar Rangayan and produced by the Humsafar Trust, this 2007 movie tells the moving tale of an HIV counsellor and her five patients. The movie won the prestigious WorldFest Houston International Film Festival award. It was made on a tight budget of Rs 3,000,000 (estimated), and remains practically unknown in the Bollywood circuit. 

	Source: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1151299/business">IMDB</a> 
 

	4. <keyword id="2620688" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="nidaan">Nidaan</keyword>

	This 2000 movie, directed by Mahesh Manjrekar, stars Shivaji Satam, Reema Lagoo and Nisha Bains in pivotal roles. It tells the tale of a young teenager who contracts AIDS during a blood transfusion, and how she chooses to live her life afterwards. The movie collected Rs 70,00,000 at the box office, and was later declared tax free by the government.

	Souce: <a href="http://ibosnetwork.com/asp/clsActorDisplay.asp?actor=Shivaji+Satam&amp;layout=filmography">IBOS</a> 
	 

	5. <keyword id="38582" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Pyaar-Mein-Kabhi-Kabhi">Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi</keyword>

	The movie doesn’t specifically talk about AIDS, but a small part of it mentions one of the lead pair’s friends contracting the disease and how the whole group of friends reacts and supports him. The movie was a flop, but managed to collect Rs 2,30,00,000 at the ticket counters.

	Souce: <a href="http://ibosnetwork.com/asp/clsActorDisplay.asp?actor=Dino+Morea&amp;layout=filmography">IBOS</a> 
	 
	Image courtesy: <a href="http://www.mybrothernikhil.com/images/wallpapers/1024x768/wallpaper4.jpg">MyBrotherNikhil</a>

World AIDS day: 5 Bollywood Movies That Spread Public Awareness About This Deadly Disease

<keyword id="3778" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Karan-Johar">Karan Johar</keyword>, who is one of India’s most successful movie makers, was angry after the legalization of gay marriages in all US states. However, the reason behind his anger had nothing to do with the judgment, but the mockery that he had to deal with on the social networking site Twitter. 
 
Johar, who has always maintained a dignified silence about the matter of his sexual orientation, was suddenly a butt of some jokes after the judgment by Uncle Sam. 
 
Fumed at mocking the ‘breakthrough moment’ for some cheap humor, the actor tweeted his anger along with the link to one of the jokes that he had been tagged in. 
 
Here is what he had to say: 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
	
		<a href="https://t.co/5We8Ko4Sbg">https://t.co/5We8Ko4Sbg</a> it's so sad and disgusting when a major breakthrough movement is made into a mockery by some on Twitter!! Shame!!!
	— Karan Johar (@karanjohar) <a href="https://twitter.com/karanjohar/status/614770239650136064">June 27, 2015</a></blockquote>
Karan, who has neither accepted nor declined the homosexuality claims made by media and industry people, was a sport when he was at the receiving end of a line of jokes about his sexuality at the much controversial AIB Roast. Not only did he laugh heartily at all the jokes at the event which was also attended by his mother, he also went on to command a certain ‘position’ with Ranveer Singh in order to cast him in a movie. 
 
However, this time, the matter was serious and looks like the My Name Is Khan director was not in a mood to steal the thunder of American Homosexuals. 
 
Picture by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1NKNuZV42Y">Fox Star Hindi</a>

Karan Johar isn’t happy about legalization of gay marriages in the US!

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil became <a href="https://www.insider.com/indias-first-openly-gay-prince-conversion-therapy-lgbtq-community-2022-4">India's first openly gay prince</a> when he came out to the public in 2006.</li><li>In October, India's top court rejected same-sex marriage, but Gohil said he remains optimistic about the future of LGBTQ+ rights in the country.</li></ul>This is an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil, who became India's first openly gay prince when he came out in 2006. He is now an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights in India and the founder of <a href="https://www.lakshya-trust.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lakshya Trust</a>, a nonprofit organization dedicated to HIV/AIDS education and prevention. The essay has been edited for length and clarity.When I was growing up, there was no chance for me to find out my sexuality because we didn't have a counselor in school. I didn't have anywhere to go and talk about my behavior or this kind of feeling that I had.There was also absolutely no sex education in school, and parents felt shy to talk about sex. So children often grew up in confusion, not knowing about their sexuality. That was completely missing.But there's been a significant change in the mindset of the people. We've created a lot of allies: The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SweekarTheRainbowParents/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rainbow Parents</a> association comprises of 200-plus parents from all over India who have accepted their children. The Indian Psychiatric Society <a href="https://indianpsychiatricsociety.org/ips-position-statement-regarding-lgbtq/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resolved</a> that homosexuality should not be treated as a mental disorder, and has been working to ensure that mental health practitioners and doctors don't indulge in malpractice or unethical issues.<div type="image" title="Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil as a child" height="870" width="1161" msid="104627812" hostid="261" sizebytes="22888"></div>Bollywood and the media has changed a lot, too. The media used to use derogatory terms like calling LGBTQ+ people "unnatural," "abnormal," or "criminal," but that language has changed. Bollywood used to portray us as comical characters and jokers, but now, there are serious films about the issues we face.A major change is in the youth population — and the youth population of India is the largest in the world. There has been a lot of awareness and curiosity among students. They want to know a lot about us. I've already done 18 TED Talks in India, and they're all student-driven.Because students have become an ally, I have hope for India. They are the future of our country. If we are able to change their mindset and get them to understand our issues, then we can expect a bright future.<h2>On the Supreme Court's ruling rejecting gay unions</h2>Recently, India's Supreme Court <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/17/world/asia/india-same-sex-marriage.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rejected same-sex marriage</a>. There has no doubt been disappointment around the ruling, but there have also been positive steps taken to ensure LGBTQ+ rights.<div type="image" title="Members of the Student Federation of India (SFI) along with LGBT activist hold placards and shout slogans during a protest march against India's Supreme Court verdict on same-sex marriage, in New Delhi on October 18, 2023." height="2862" width="3816" msid="104627815" hostid="261" sizebytes="598536"></div>The government's stance has long been that legalizing same-sex unions will affect the culture of the country, but that stance has softened to an extent when the government agreed that same-sex couples have been deprived of certain benefits that heterosexual couples enjoy.In 2018, <a href="https://www.insider.com/indias-supreme-court-legalized-gay-relations-2018-9">homosexuality was unanimously decriminalized in India</a>. In that case, they found that there were four fundamental rights in the constitution that were being violated. In this case, there were again five judges on the bench. Two were supportive to the LGBTQ+ community, and three were not. The majority won. But they did rule that transgender men and women have the right to marry.They also said that anyone who wishes to live together as a couple can legally do so without any stigma, discrimination, or violence against them. Many times, parents have used force to keep their gay children from living with their partners, and now the judgment has said that the state will protect couples from forced separation.The government also suggested to the Supreme Court that a committee be formed that can help look into issues that same-sex couples face, like setting up bank accounts, joint properties, inheritances and wills. That committee will be formed of government officials, mental health practitioners, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.<div type="image" title="Holy Hindu Saints and United Hindu Front stages agitation against the petition before same-sex marriage in Supreme Court , at Jantar Mantar on April 27, 2023 in New Delhi, India." height="4015" width="5354" msid="104627817" hostid="261" sizebytes="1216150"></div><h2>Solutions to work toward</h2>I am optimistic about the future of LGBTQ+ rights in India. I've worked with political representatives and parliamentarians, and we have created allies. I'm proud to say that I have an ally in each and every political party in India.For me, one ally is enough to make the change. I'm not a political person. I don't plan to run for elections or anything. But I do plan to continue making others realize our value, and that's how we win them over and get them on our side.Because there have been so many petitioners and advocates fighting for LGBTQ+ rights, the government has become more educated. So although the Supreme Court rejected the petition for same-sex unions, it's not a rejection without a solution.See, when you're rejecting something and not giving a solution, then that is a major disappointment. But there is a solution, and we should work on that solution. It's our duty to work on it.

I'm India's first openly gay prince. Even though the country's Supreme Court denied same-sex marriage, I'm optimistic about the future of LGBTQ+ rights.

<ul><li>Shubh Mangal Zyaada Saavdhan is a bollywood gay rom-com where Kartik and Aman fight the stereotypical mindset about homophobia in a small town. </li><li>The film had a strong opening with a total collection of ₹19.75 crore in two day. </li><li>According to BoxofficeIndia, the film is likely to make a business of at least ₹30 crore. </li></ul><keyword id="965758" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ayushman-Khurrana">Ayushman Khurrana</keyword> has discovered the secret to winning audiences — unconvention roles. After he started his career playing the character of a sperm donor, he is yet again on screen playing a gay partner amidst Indian family drama. The film had a strong opening with total collections of ₹19.75 crore in the first two days. Moreover the Mahashivratri holiday on Friday gave a 45% boost. According to BoxofficeIndia, the film is likely to do a business of at least ₹30 crore. “If the film can hold well on Monday it should do well. The last two <keyword id="593991" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ayushmann-Khurana">Ayushmann Khurana</keyword> films have done ₹140 and ₹110 crore net respectively so the trade and industry starts to expect numbers in that range but the numbers for these depend on the content and not the actor as opening is never huge,” reported Boxoffice India. <div type="twitter" handle="taran_adarsh" handlename="taran adarsh" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1440352704/profile_pic_taran_normal.jpg" favoritecount="12692" retweetcount="747" status="#OneWordReview... #ShubhMangalZyadaSaavdhan: BOLD. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½ Brave. Gutsy. Fearless. Dares to address Homopho… https://t.co/Qd9n8sXxBc" createdat="1582295700000" id="1230863495912153088"></div>

 <div type="twitter" handle="taran_adarsh" handlename="taran adarsh" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1440352704/profile_pic_taran_normal.jpg" favoritecount="7096" retweetcount="348" status="#ShubhMangalZyadaSaavdhan jumps on Day 2... Metros witness growth, while mass pockets remain strictly average... Th… https://t.co/GxygzXR0id" createdat="1582435554000" id="1231450087617900544"></div>

 Shubh Mangal Zyaada Saavdhan is a rare Bollywood gay rom-com where Kartik and Aman fight the stereotypical mindset and small-town homophobia. Aman and Kartika, who live in Delhi, want to get married but trouble follows them when Aman’s father catches them kissing — and there start panic attacks to fake suicide attempts. The film is set before India revoked Section 377 that criminalised gay sex. It draws references from the popular Shahrukh Khan movie Dilwale Dulhania Lejayenge for many scenes. <keyword id="7612227" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shubh-Mangal-Zyada-Saavdhan">Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan</keyword> opened on February 21 in India. Apart from Ayushmann it stars Jitendra Kumar and the ‘Badhai Ho’ pair of Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao. The film is written and directed by debutant Hitesh Kewalya. Trump’s says ‘great’ Attention Apart from Indian audiences, the Khurrana starrer also managed to gather US president <keyword id="6354484" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Donald-Trump">Donald Trump</keyword>’s attention. Trump, who is on a two-day visit to India lauded the rom-com on the day of its release. A human rights campaigner and LGBTQ+ activist Peter Tatchells took to social media to post about the movie. "A new #Bollywood rom-com featuring a gay romance is hoping to win over older people, following the decriminalisation of homosexuality. Hurrah!" tweeted @PeterTatchell. To this, Donald Trump tweeted : Great <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1230881724445249536">https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1230881724445249536</a> The movie has had a much better opening than <keyword id="710" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sonam-Kapoor">Sonam Kapoor</keyword>’s Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga which was also a gay drama story, that has failed to make a mark on the Box Office. (With IANS) See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/donald-trump-food-menu-from-chef-suresh-khanna-in-ahmedabad/articleshow/74276769.cms">Here’s the Trump menu from Chef Suresh Khanna: The beef-lover US Prez will have to settle for an all-vegetarian meal in India</a>

Ayushman Khurrana wins hearts with Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan — eyes ₹30 crore in 3 days

<ul><li>This Pride, we want advertising and media industry’s queer folks to take up space.</li><li>With our individual interviews, we will be focusing on harnessing the full power of our platform to highlight emerging queer leaders of the advertising industry.</li><li>Today, we speak to Abhishek Satam, Senior Consultant, <keyword id="3163779" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Alchemist-Marketing">Alchemist Marketing</keyword> about changing representation in ads, moving beyond tokenism in India, choosing the right approach while working on diverse campaigns, how can organisation build an inclusive culture on the inside and much more.</li></ul>While every day should be celebrated as Pride Day, the month of June brings along an opportunity for us to reflect on how far we have come, unlearn social conditioning, acknowledge the struggles that LGBTQIA+ people face and start normalising the conversation. However, this <keyword id="168821" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pride-Month">pride month</keyword>, so far, has been rather low. While globally, the LGBTQIA+ representation-momentum is only growing, India’s marketing ecosystem is still way behind. It is only during the pride month that there is a sudden bombardment of rainbows and brands remember that LGBTQIA+ are also their consumers with purchasing power. The silence this month is speaking a thousand words, indicating that traditional Indian brands are still closeted. At the same time, the momentum is growing and more brands are making a conscious effort to build an inclusive environment inside their organisations by hiring Diversity, Inclusivity and Equity officers. As an industry, advertising is known to drive to change. It can use its influential power in mending belief systems and uprooting regressive thoughts. It can bring about normalisation and make people embrace the entire spectrum. We reached out to Abhishek Satam, Senior Consultant, Alchemist Marketing to understand how brands can be true allies this pride and throughout 2021, a few things that they need to pay close attention to inside their organisations, talk about campaigns that worked and one that made him cringe and finding the right approach in ads. Excerpts: <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. How would you say the Pride movement has evolved in India in recent years?" text="Q. How would you say the Pride movement has evolved in India in recent years?">Q. How would you say the Pride movement has evolved in India in recent years?</cmsannotation> I think the pride movement and the community started getting more visibility around a decade ago. There are three major landmarks in this period. The 2009 Delhi high court verdict opened up the conversations about lgbtq+ community. It showed us it’s possible to ask for gay rights in India, encouraged individuals to come out of closet but the corporate world hadn’t much warmed up to be a part of Pride scene yet. Also, social media was relatively new here. It was that regressive shock verdict of 2013 when the organisations were actually challenged to show where they stand. Thankfully, some of the major brands voiced their support for the community. It was much needed. This is where the Pride movement took real momentum. People were furious and questioning. The following year saw highest number of Pride walk attendees everywhere. It wasn’t just the community but the allies who walked with us in solidarity, you could see a couple of corporate groups walking the Pride as well. Every small support for the community mattered. People were united to fight section 377 and they were full of hope especially with the way things were going steadily positive before 2018 SC verdict. Considering how the brands supported the movement before, it was only obvious that more of them will follow the suit and jump on the Pride bandwagon post the verdict. Of course, you can’t tell how many of them are genuine allies but since this is just the beginning in the fight for many more rights for lgbtq+ community, more the merrier. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. How do you feel about pride-themed merchandise?" text="Q. How do you feel about pride-themed merchandise?">Q. How do you feel about pride-themed merchandise?</cmsannotation> I feel absolutely okay with pride merchandise. I see it as a demand and supply equation. If businesses see potential takers in something, it's only natural that they would want to grab the opportunity, to have their share of it. How can Pride celebrations be an exception! Few of my friends like to have such a collection. I personally don’t buy it but that’s because I don’t see much variety in it. It’s all pretty basic and same. If you're doing it, you might as well dig deeper into queer culture and come up with something new, something different. Also, I find the pricing very unreasonable most times. If you are marketing a product that's about Pride and Equality, why price it so high that only the rich can afford? <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. One Indian ad that you really liked because it ticked all the right boxes for you?" text="Q. One Indian ad that you really liked because it ticked all the right boxes for you?">Q. One Indian ad that you really liked because it ticked all the right boxes for you?</cmsannotation> I liked Fastrack’s Come Out Of The Closet ad especially because it came out at a very important time in 2013 when homosexuality was re-criminalised. It was edgy, bold and most importantly conveyed the message that no more hiding in the closet no matter what. That message meant everything at that moment because the recent verdict had a lot of people confused. I think it’s really important for the brands to know which chord they should strike at a particular time. <div type="Youtube" id="fmk9D53G6F8" title="Fastrack - The Closet" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fmk9D53G6F8/mqdefault.jpg"></div> From the recent lot, I loved the Bhima jewellery ad, it’s one of the most beautifully narrated journey of a trans person’s life in a path-breakingly positive light. It might not be something a lot of trans people can relate entirely to but it shows the world that we aspire to live in. <div type="Youtube" id="NtaLr_r8R2E" title="Bhima Jewellery. Pure as love." thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NtaLr_r8R2E/mqdefault.jpg"></div> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. One ad that got it wrong or made you cringe?" text="Q. One ad that got it wrong or made you cringe?">Q. One ad that got it wrong or made you cringe?</cmsannotation> How can one forget Youngistan Ka Wow ad from Pepsi! It was literally how Bollywood had used gay humour for cheap laughs since 90’s and apart from being cringy, it literally encouraged the homophobia already prevalent among most of Indian parents. That was unforgivable. <div type="Youtube" id="LD4qv7pAoN4" title="Pepsi - Youngistan Ka Wow" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LD4qv7pAoN4/mqdefault.jpg"></div> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. How can brands avoid falling into the rainbow-washing trap? What brands and advertising agencies should and shouldn't do this pride?" text="Q. How can brands avoid falling into the rainbow-washing trap? What brands and advertising agencies should and shouldn't do this pride?">Q. How can brands avoid falling into the rainbow-washing trap? What brands and advertising agencies should and shouldn't do this pride?</cmsannotation> I honestly feel rainbow-washing is something we cannot really control at this point in India, whether it’s the brands that truly stand for the cause or the ones using it just as a marketing trend. We have a long way to go in queer rights movement. Yes, we can call out the brands that have done otherwise than what they have been doing during the Pride month but we cannot cancel them. We should rather make them accountable for walking the talk. I see there’s no harm for brands in realising and addressing their past mistakes and even apologising for it before claiming to be allies. Ad agencies should know where a particular brand comes from before working out pride month ideas for the brand. Not that a brand which once resorted to insensitive ad campaign or associated with homophobic entities/practices can never be an ally. If we make an effort to sensitise our homophobic families, we can surely let the brands that have been ignorant in the past have a fair chance to do good by you, once they own their deeds. If you are putting that rainbow filter on your logo, make sure you extend your allyship all round the year, educate yourselves on our issues, voice your support whenever the need arises and be truly inclusive as an organisation. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. Many organisations hire one queer person and make them the face of 'inclusivity at their organisation.' If you were a Chief Equity Officer, how would you go about it? How would you help your organisation move away from tokenism and bring real change?" text="Q. Many organisations hire one queer person and make them the face of 'inclusivity at their organisation.' If you were a Chief Equity Officer, how would you go about it? How would you help your organisation move away from tokenism and bring real change?">Q. Many organisations hire one queer person and make them the face of 'inclusivity at their organisation.' If you were a Chief Equity Officer, how would you go about it? How would you help your organisation move away from tokenism and bring real change?</cmsannotation> I would love to play that role someday. It’s easier for brands to maintain an lgbtq+ friendly face for their customers through a couple of campaigns but you can’t be a true ally unless the work culture in your organisation reflects it. I would like to start with switching to paperwork that is inclusive of gender diversity. I believe making the communication inclusive goes long way in meeting diversity goals. Then make sure that the hiring process is inclusive, not limited to only cis folks. The employee handbook would ensure, one of the first things new employees would learn that this isn’t a place for any sort of homophobia/ transphobia. I would also like to recommend gender neutral restrooms, it’s high time we had them in India. There would of course be an lgbtq+ support group within the organisation that one can always approach, physically/distantly/anonymously, however one is comfortable. A lot of times such groups don’t get active response from discrete sexual minorities. So it’s crucial to create a platform where people can interact without fearing to be outed. You need to get them to trust you at first in order to help them further. I would want it to be accessible and approachable for everyone. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. Which has more merit: a campaign targeting discrimination and stigmas, or a campaign celebrating the community or a campaign that includes couples of all kinds?" text="Q. Which has more merit: a campaign targeting discrimination and stigmas, or a campaign celebrating the community or a campaign that includes couples of all kinds?">Q. Which has more merit: a campaign targeting discrimination and stigmas, or a campaign celebrating the community or a campaign that includes couples of all kinds?</cmsannotation> Well, we need all kinds of campaigns, don’t we? They all have their own purpose to serve. Yes, the need of the hour is to educate people to eliminate discrimination, address the stigma around homosexuality now that we are past our first legal hurdle but we do need to normalise it on another side by showing couples of all kinds. That’s how we’ll be able to get sexual minorities into the mainstream.

If you are putting that rainbow filter on your logo, make sure you extend your allyship all round the year: Abhishek Satam of Alchemist Marketing

<ul><li>Ayushmann Khurrana has been listed as one of the top 100 Influential People in the world by TIME today. </li><li>With his rising popularity and influential power, the actor seems to be on a winning streak in the advertising world. </li><li>He has bagged marquee brands like KitKat, Peter England, The Man Company, Bajaj Allianz, to name a few, in the past few months amid a global pandemic. </li><li>We speak to experts to find out what are some of the qualities that make him influential in the brandverse. </li></ul>Ayushmann Khurrana, the only Indian actor to be featured on TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in the World list, is also becoming India’s favourite brand endorser. Even during the on-going pandemic -- when brands have tightened their purse strings -- Ayushmann has managed to grab more attention from brands and bag endorsement deals from marquee brands such as JSW India, Nestle, Toyota, Bajaj Allianz, Sprite, The Man Company, UNICEF, to name a few. Despite not having done a single blockbuster movie this year, apart from Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhan and the virtually-released Gulabo Sitabo, Ayushmann is on a winning streak in the branding world. 2020 is turning out to be a tipping point for his career as a brand endorser. Ayushmann has around 25 brands in his kitty and in Duff &amp; Phelps’ report released in 2019, Khurrana was a new entrant at rank 10 with a brand value of $40.3 million. In the times when everyone is talking about nepotism in Bollywood, associating with Ayushmann also seems like a safe and perfect bet for an Indian brand. He is the boy-next-door from Chandigarh who has made it on his own in the industry. After his first appearance in MTV Roadies Season 2, Ayushmann found his ticket to Bollywood as Shoojit Sircar offered him a leading role in Vicky Donor. Since the beginning of his career, Ayushmann has been very picky with his choice of movies. He has made a conscious effort to increase representation of different kinds of Indians in his movies by playing a homosexual man in Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhan, someone who suffers from erectile dysfunction in Shubh Mangal Saavdhan and a bald guy in Bala. He is also known for movies like Article 15, Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Dream Girl and Badhaai Ho that have started a conversation around different social issues. It is his choice of films that Vani Gupta Dandia, Founder of CherryPeachPlum Growth Partners - a marketing-led business consultancy thinks makes him the ideal fit for all challenger brands. She said, “AK is an actor who comes across as someone with a very, very strong personality. He's chosen to do films which stood out for the stands they took, for the very 'difficult to speak about' subjects in society. The most appealing thing about Ayushmann Khurrana is that while he has chosen to do very offbeat films he still has a very mainstream appeal. His brand endorsements have also been in line with the offbeat actor he comes across as.” On what qualities does he stand for and which brands should he choose, Vani Gupta Dandia added, “Brands that are looking for halo values like intelligence, substance vs frivolous mass appeal, gumption to stand up for difficult causes, choose v/s be chosen, and strong-mindedness - are best suited for a tie-up with him. He must be careful to stay true to who he is and not fall into the trap of the typical bolly 'dance- around-the-trees' mould. His appeal is in being a 'deliberate' and intelligent actor. Not the mainstream hero. He should carefully nurture this positioning and associate with causes and brands that fortify his own imagery in the consumers’ mind.” Karthik Srinivasan, Independent Brand Consultant and Social Media Expert, calls Ayushmann the Amol Palekar of our times - a true 'everyman', but with extra panache. He explained, “Given his smart choice of film scripts where he plays 'everyman' without the extraordinary stunts that define our films' heroism, and convincingly pulls off seemingly 'normal' roles, and given the enormous success he has garnered in such narratives, he fits perfectly for any brand that wants a relatable super-celebrity.” Talking about what makes Ayushmann brands’ favourite, Harish Bijoor, Brand Guru &amp; Founder, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc. said, “He is not the big-boots star of Bollywood. Neither is he a peripheral actor, many of whom come, survive and leave. He is someone in-between. And that's the beauty of his success today. As an actor, he is a method actor of repute. He has under his belt a series of hits that few can boast. In many ways, he is the small-budget star who takes the entire ecosystem of the film that is made to success. Today, viewers of Hindi cinema are bored to death by the big stars and the bigness they represent. In many ways, this is a David versus Goliath liking that comes to the fore. The big star is just too big, unapproachable and just too far away physically and metaphorically. The smaller star is that much closer, and that much more to emote with as a persona. This is Ayushman's touchstone of success.” Ayushmann also bagged a deal with Bajaj Allianz Life this month. On why the brand chose him as its face, Chandramohan Mehra, Chief Marketing Officer, Bajaj Allianz Life, said, "Ayushmann outscores his new age peers on the attributes of relatability and likeability, across consumer profiles. Also, in context of his rise on back of the smart, unconventional and consistent choices he has made, his marketability has enhanced. He is seen as a role model and hugely talented across profiles of age, gender and income groups." Ayushmann can act, sing and dance. He also writes poetry. His versatility and boy-next-door image make him brands’ sweetheart. N. Chandramouli, CEO, TRA said, “Ayushmann Khurrana is one of the multi-talented, multi-faceted actors who has a range of successes behind him in the movies. Without controversies, he is a stable bet for any brand. He has been considerably active in social media during the lockdown and combined with his earlier successes, this has increased his social media presence and salience. Ayushmann is versatile and he can endorse a range of categories, right from footwear to ice-creams, menswear to colas. His affable persona, boy-next-door looks gives him a wide range to choose from. Cost is a key driver for brands when choosing between endorsers, and his costs being lesser than superstar fees, makes him amenable to be the pick of brands, too.” Lately, we have seen endorsers who are more than a model but less than a nepotism-breed superstar like Vicky Kaushal and Ayushmann, get popular in the brandverse. With this, the definition of ‘superstar’ is also changing. Explaining what is driving this change in the industry, Srinivasan said, “Ayushmann is a bonafide superstar, by star value and films' success alone. As for the industry trend of more than a model, but less than a superstar, it could be mirroring the interest in tier-2 and tier-3 social media stars so that brands can tap into small user circles who are their followers. Similarly, given that mainstream, theater-led cinema was the only criteria to bill someone as a superstar at one point, there are now many other media platforms for someone to be called a budget-superstar or a different kind of superstar. Many actors have become big only by doing OTT shows, and many on TV alone. So there's a better range for that phrase 'superstar' now.”

Why Ayushmann Khurrana, the only Indian actor to feature on TIME’s 100 Most Influential People list, is also the blue-eyed boy for brands

<keyword id="6367269" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="aligarh">Aligarh</keyword>, the upcoming movie based on the life, and death, of <keyword id="44216" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Aligarh-Muslim-University">Aligarh Muslim University</keyword> professor <keyword id="3228864" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Dr-Shrinivas-Ramchandra-Siras">Dr. Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras</keyword>, has been in news recently over the director <keyword id="4684" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Hansal-Mehta">Hansal Mehta</keyword> expressing disappointment over the A rating that the censor board has given to the movie.

	However, censor board chief Pahlaj Nihalani has termed this as a cheap way to promote the movie, saying that a movie based on homosexuality was bound to be given an Adult rating.

	Talking about the movie, it gives us a glimpse of the life of Dr. Siras, who was suspended from his job as a professor of Marathi at AMU, because of his sexual orientation.
 After winning the case against the University, Siras died in suspicious circumstances. While a National Award winning actor <keyword id="15439" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Manoj-Bajpai">Manoj Bajpai</keyword> plays the role of Siras, another national award winning actor <keyword id="1946388" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rajkummar-Rao">Rajkummar Rao</keyword> plays a journalist who takes it upon himself to bring the case into the eyes of everyone.

	Talking of Dr. Siras, the Marathi Doctorate became a professor at AMU in 1998. Married for almost 20 years, Siras ended up getting divorced after a long separation.

	It was in 2010 that two men forced their way into Siras' house and caught him having consensual sex with another man, a rickshaw puller. After this, he was suspended by AMU, which claimed "gross misconduct'' on his part. He filed a case in the Allahabad High Court on 1 April 2010, which he went on to win because of the involvement of students in the case, and the fact that homosexuality was not a crime in India back then. 
	 
	

	However, on 7 April 2010, Siras died suspiciously in his apartment, a day before he was to get the official letter to revoke his suspension and get back his job.

	Prima facia, the case was thought to be that of a suicide, but post-mortem reports showed some traces of poison in his body, because of which six people were arrested, and three journalists and four AMU officials were thought to be behind the crime.

	However, lack of evidence forced the police to shut down the case.

	The plot looks interesting enough for a Bollywood movie, and the acting caliber of both Bajpai and Rao make it a must watch. The movie has been screened at various international film festivals, winning accolades all over.

	Adult rating or not, the movie proves the fact that Indian cinema is finally changing, and this time, for good.

	Catch the trailer <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JezwsQKpXuU">here</a>. 
	 
	<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sdDafE2WSF4/S75TQr28UaI/AAAAAAAAASg/_PAR0oeWyiE/s1600/siras1.jpg">Image source</a>

Aligarh: The story of life and death of Dr. Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras

Filmmaker <keyword id="3778" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Karan-Johar">Karan Johar</keyword> was in Jaipur to take part in the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival. On being asked about what has been his biggest revelation, he laughed, saying that he hasn’t revealed it as of yet. He was, of course, hinting at his sexuality, given that there have been undying rumors about him being a homosexual. 
 
“We are in a tough country to talk about your personal life, and I feel very sad about it,” the Bombay Velvet actor said after he said that revealing something could land you in jail in this country, and that Freedom of Expression is "the biggest joke" in the world, followed by democracy. 
 
"Everywhere I go, I am scared, like I am scared I am saying something in Jaipur, and I don’t know who'll file a case when I get home. So I have become like some kind of an FIR king now," he said, touching the topic of the FIR that was lodged against him for hosting the infamous AIB Roast. 
 
However, with the growing intolerance over anyone who says that India is intolerant, it looks like Johar will soon be joining the club of Bollywood celebrities who were reprimanded for speaking about what’s happening in the country. 
 
While Aamir Khan faced backlash for saying that his wife has suggested moving out of the country, Shah Rukh Khan was also misquoted about saying that there is a growing "cultural and religious intolerance". 
 
Watch the video here: 
 
 
Source: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdfLsL12PiM">ANI</a> 
 
<a href="http://i1.tribune.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/541288-Karanjohar-1367074908.jpg">Image source</a>

Freedom of expression is a ‘Joke’, because making any revelation about my personal life could land me in jail, says Karan Johar

Six months into the Ukraine war, Russia's film industry is on life support

<h2><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div></h2>
In many places attacking the rights of gay people can still be politically useful and popular
IN THE argot of human rights, LGBT means lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender--a catch-all term for sexual minorities. But Yahya Jammeh, president of Gambia for 20 years, has a different reading. "As far as I am concerned," he thundered during a televised speech in February, "LGBT can only stand for leprosy, gonorrhoea, bacteria and tuberculosis." He compared gay people to vermin, and said his government would fight them as it does malaria-bearing mosquitoes, "if not more aggressively".
Gay sex is illegal in Gambia, as it is in 37 of Africa's 54 countries. Documented evidence of a criminal homosexual conspiracy to poison Gambian culture remains elusive. But politicians remain vigilant: in August the government brought in fresh anti-gay legislation. A few weeks later ministers in Chad approved a bill mandating prison sentences of 15 to 20 years for gay sex. Across Africa, and elsewhere in the world, politicians have found gay people a useful scapegoat to distract from corruption or other domestic problems, to shore up conservative constituencies, or to steal a march on political rivals.
The best-known example is Uganda. In 2009 David Bahati, an MP, introduced a bill which would have imposed the death penalty in cases of "aggravated homosexuality", a term that covers gay sex with people under 18 and people with disabilities or HIV. There was a furious response from <keyword id="6356001" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> human-rights groups and some governments. The bill lost its harshest provisions, including the death penalty.
 In February, after some apparent hesitation, Yoweri Museveni, Uganda's long-standing president, signed the bill into law. He accused Uganda's critics of acting like latter-day colonialists seeking to impose their values on Africa.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>Similar rhetoric had been heard two months earlier when Goodluck Jonathan, the president of Nigeria, signed a bill outlawing displays of same-sex affection, banning groups devoted to gay people's rights and introducing 14-year prison sentences for anyone entering into a gay marriage or other contractual union.
As in Uganda and Gambia, Nigeria already had a law on the books prohibiting gay sex. To the extent that Nigerian gay activists had a legislative agenda, it did not include gay marriage. The UN human-rights chief said of the Nigerian bill that she had rarely seen a law that "in so few paragraphs directly violates so many basic, universal human rights."
Russia has also been targeting gay people. In 2012 Vitaly Milonov, a legislator in St Petersburg, spearheaded the city's adoption of a law banning homosexual "propaganda" to minors. In June 2013 the Duma passed its own version, making "propaganda" about "non-traditional sexual relationships" a crime. Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, finds gay-bashing politically appealing. It runs together various favoured themes: that the West is a corrupting influence best rejected; that tolerance and liberalism are alien to traditional Russian values; that the Orthodox church should be given a more prominent role.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>
<keyword id="6358883" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Politics">Politics</keyword> also drove Mr Museveni's decision to sign Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act. Mr Museveni is a wily operator who has occupied the presidency since 1986; he had not previously found it necessary to tighten Uganda's anti-gay provisions. But facing a re-election bid in 2016, he chose to ride the homophobic wave his allies in parliament had created for their own purposes.
Mr Jonathan, meanwhile, is up for re-election next year and has encountered a crisis of confidence over his handling of the Islamists of Boko Haram and his poor domestic record; attacking gay people was a distraction, and one that Nigeria's Muslims and Christians, often daggers drawn, would both support.
An enemy within can be handy for all sorts of leaders, and often more or less any old enemy will do. Some leaders' anti-gay language has a conspiratorial tone that feels borrowed from the anti-Semitic diatribes of another time: gay people are portrayed as in thrall to alien values and particularly dangerous to children.
Recent developments in the West also create exotic targets against which divisive leaders can define themselves without taking on any particularly powerful enemy at home. Nigeria's law would surely not have taken its current form had gay marriage not made such remarkable advances in Europe and America.
None of this would work if there were not deep wells of homophobia to draw on. Over 95% of Ugandans and Nigerians disapprove of homosexuality. Four-fifths of Russians say that they have no gay acquaintances (though many may be wrong to say so).
Such numbers say little about the intensity of anti-gay feeling in each country. They are certainly not evidence of a clamour for legislative attacks on homosexuals; activists often point out that gay people in places like Nigeria were able to lead relatively untroubled, if intensely private, lives before they became political targets. But the feelings they represent offer an opportunity for politicians seeking a quick populist win.
Some argue that the colonial provenance of anti-gay laws, in Africa and elsewhere, shows that these feelings have little genuine cultural basis. Imperial British authorities were certainly not slow to impose such laws on the lands they occupied, and they were often imported directly from home; in several former British colonies such provisions are numbered 377 in the legal code, indicating their common source.
Attitudes in some former British colonies in the Caribbean are particularly distressing; in Jamaica vigilantes harass gay people as police look the other way. The prime minister, Portia Simpson-Miller, has defended gay people and pledged a parliamentary vote of conscience on the country's 19th-century "buggery law", although this has not taken place.
<h3>It's a sin</h3>
To see the colonial legacy as the root of the problem, though, is to go too far. It underrates the energy that post-colonial governments have put into keeping these laws on the books, or adding to them. Governments have not been shy about amending other colonial-era laws they see as no longer needed.
A more contemporary and pernicious Western influence is that of conservative American evangelists who export their anti-gay message to places where it may meet more receptive ears, along with money that makes it all the more attractive. In Uganda's case, they appear directly to have influenced the drafting of legislation.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>
Whether domestic or imported, religion matters. A survey of 39 countries by the Pew Research Centre last year found a strong correlation between a country's tolerance for homosexuality and its religiosity. African and Middle Eastern nations are the least tolerant; in several Muslim countries homosexuality is a capital crime. Russia, a relatively godless place, is an exception to the rule.
So, increasingly, is America, though in the opposite direction; it is more tolerant than its levels of religious belief would predict. The greatest exception along those lines is Brazil, where attitudes are broadly tolerant and, as in Argentina and parts of Mexico, gay marriage is now legal. Homophobic violence, though, remains a problem.
None of the new laws seems to have been vigorously enforced. But the climate of hostility and fear their passage generates can make life unpleasant for gay men and women, and their mere existence presents opportunities for extortion and blackmail. In 2011 David Kato, a prominent Ugandan campaigner for gay people's rights, was murdered after a tabloid newspaper published his picture, along with those of 99 other homosexuals, under the headline "Hang them!" Homophobic attacks rose tenfold in Uganda after the passage of the Anti-Homosexuality Act, according to a local group. Gay people in Nigeria have been set upon by mobs.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>The simultaneous advance of gay rights in the developed world and its retreat in some other places throws up difficult dilemmas for the West. When gay people's rights are respected at home it is hard to justify turning a blind eye to hideous abuses abroad, particularly in countries with budgets propped up by foreign aid. Yet shout too loudly and you become vulnerable to Mr Museveni's charge of neo-colonialism--and you may jeopardise the safety of the men and women you seek to help.
 America has taken the most hawkish approach. In 2011 Barack Obama's administration issued a memo formally integrating the promotion of gay people's rights into its diplomacy, including in this the setting of foreign-aid policy. After the Ugandan law was passed America cancelled joint military drills, cut aid and applied travel bans. Some other Western countries followed suit, as did the World Bank. The hard line triggered harsh reactions in some African countries. The European Union has taken a softer approach, finding it more productive to work the phones, exert quiet influence and avoid celebrating victories.
<h3>Domino dancing</h3>
Optimists think that, one way or another, outsiders can make a difference. On August 1st Uganda's Constitutional Court overturned the Anti-Homosexuality Act, ruling that there was no quorum in the parliament when it passed the bill in December 2013. What drove the decision--an unusually quick one, by the court's standards--remains unclear.
Anti-gay campaigners accused Mr Museveni of leaning on the court to overturn the law, a few days before he was due to fly, along with dozens of other African leaders, to Washington for an America-Africa summit. If so, it might well be because he faced pressure. Even before the ruling Mr Museveni had begun to waver; in July his government pleaded that the law had been "misinterpreted" by outsiders.
The technical nature of the court's ruling did not quell activists' jubilation. Campaigners in court cheered and draped themselves in a huge rainbow flag. A few days later a few dozen campaigners held a celebration on the shores of Lake Victoria. Remarkably, local police provided them with an element of security. Some MPs want to introduce a new anti-gay bill into parliament.
Yet this week Mr Museveni appeared to warn against such a move. In a long, eccentric article in a Ugandan news weekly, he suggested that a new law could endanger Uganda's trade relationships because "the homosexual lobby can intimidate potential buyers".
If outside pressure had some effect on Mr Museveni--he says it did not--it does not mean it will work more widely. Long a "donor darling", and more recently a military partner of the United States, Uganda has strong links with Western governments. European and American officials were in constant contact with Mr Museveni's government behind the scenes after the law was passed; the public pressure brought to bear on Uganda was only half the story.
Nigeria, a far larger economy with less dependence on aid, is a different case. And as for Russia, Western attacks only play into Mr Putin's hands. Campaigners found it more useful to run a celebrity-led pro-gay campaign around the Sochi Winter Olympics earlier this year than to attack the country's laws head-on.
Moreover, says Kevin Watkins, head of the Overseas Development Institute, a London-based think-tank, even in countries that do receive aid, "conditionality"--tying funds to particular policies--tends not to work. He and others point out that advancing gay people's rights has always been a domestic civil-rights phenomenon. Rather than withholding aid, they argue, better for Westerners to support grassroots organisations which agitate for change.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>
<h3>Left to their own devices</h3>
Well-known international human-rights groups devote as much attention to the quiet cultivation of links with local activists as they do to public denunciations of laws they disagree with. The advance of democracy can help insofar as it creates space for civil-society groups and strengthens independent institutions like judiciaries; but democracy can also facilitate demagoguery. One observer points out that anti-gay bills have failed to get far in Ethiopia and Rwanda, two authoritarian states, while becoming law in the messy semi-democracies of Nigeria and Uganda.
Westerners can help in other ways, too. Asylum courts have not always taken the most enlightened approach to applications from gay people. In recent years European and British judges have ruled that sexual orientation may be considered a ground for asylum if the applicant can demonstrate a convincing fear of persecution. This is not always easy in countries where suppressing one's sexuality may be the only way to guarantee personal safety.
The other way in which people in the West might make a difference is available only to a few--gay celebrities who obscure this aspect of their lives. With popular culture ever more global, an increase in the number of openly gay football heroes or Hollywood stars could have an effect.
The dearth of such figures suggests that, for all the progress that has been made in respecting the rights of gay people in the rich world, there is still a worry that in some careers being openly gay will not work. The wells of homophobia on which populist politicians can draw in Africa and elsewhere seem not to have dried up quite as much as people might like to believe.
There are large parts of the world where the rights of gay people are not, at present, a political punchbag. China is not a particularly gay-friendly place; until 1997 homosexuality was illegal, and until 2001 it was officially considered a mental illness.
Yet the issue has not been heavily politicised, and in cities gay life is far easier than it was. A court recently heard a case brought by activists against a clinic that offered "gay-conversion" therapy. In Hunan province a 19-year-old caused a stir when he challenged the provincial authority's decision not to allow him to register an organisation devoted to gay people's rights.
In India the past decade has brought considerable change. The first national magazine for gay people, Pink Pages, was launched in 2009. Gay-pride marches, if not necessarily very large ones, are a common sight in big cities. Bollywood has produced sympathetic films.
Yet even if it is becoming slightly easier among India's elite to be openly gay, almost no one in public life dares declare it. And the legal position for homosexuals is in flux. In July 2009 a high court ruled that the ban on "carnal intercourse against the order of nature" in the penal code violated India's constitution, a ruling which in effect decriminalised gay sex.
In December 2013 two Supreme Court judges overturned the ruling. They said that parliament could pass a law to legalise gay sex; at the moment, that looks unlikely. Other straws in the wind suggest that India's laws could become less gay-friendly. Adoption by gay parents is not banned (adoption rules make no reference to sexuality), but on August 6th the national cabinet reportedly decided to block it, perhaps because of pressure from Hindu nationalist groups.
Across South-East Asia, meanwhile, tolerance varies markedly. Religion is partly behind that: homosexuality is legal in Indonesia except for Aceh, a conservative Muslim state. In Brunei, which has begun to implement a sharia-based penal code, "sodomy" is punishable by stoning to death. Malaysia and Singapore both retain colonial-era prohibitions on sex between men, though with varying degrees of punishment: fines, imprisonment for up to 20 years and whipping in Malaysia; imprisonment for up to two years in Singapore.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div></div></div>
Though poor, conservative and the possessor of a shameful record on human rights more generally, Vietnam offers a counter-example. Hanoi, the capital, has hosted gay-pride parades since 2012. Bills to legalise same-sex marriage nearly passed this year in both Vietnam and Thailand, which has long been far more tolerant of transgender people than the West has. Singapore offers an example of another sort. Though gay men remain in a precarious legal position, the country's gay-pride event, Pink Dot, has grown in each of its six years of existence: this June it drew a record crowd of 26,000.
As the South-East Asian experience demonstrates, a country's laws on homosexuality do not always predict the degree of freedom granted to gay men and women. Cameroon has passed no anti-gay legislation in recent years, and has thus largely escaped the opprobrium of Western governments and campaigners. But it prosecutes the laws on its books with particular vigour: arrests have been made on the basis of text messages and clothing choices.
<h3>Love comes quickly</h3>
In most Western countries it was only after other social battles had been won that gay people began to be tolerated and their legal rights secured. And some Westerners have already forgotten how recently those changes came about. Less than 50 years ago gay sex, let alone marriage, was illegal over broad swathes of the now comparatively enlightened world (see map). It was only ten years ago that America's Republicans made use of votes on gay marriage to help them win elections by rousing social conservatives (some Democrats now do the same thing in the opposite direction).
In the end gay people in the developing world will probably win their rights as they did in the West. Civil-society organisations, enlightened political and judicial leadership, and the advance of the liberal idea that the state has no business regulating the harmless activities of adults will all play a role.
Most powerful, though, is likely to be people's discovery that they have perfectly decent gay friends, neighbours, even relatives. The most pernicious thing about institutionalised homophobia and legal repression is that they make this realisation so hard. Once the wall begins to crack, though, it can quickly come tumbling down.
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