The following people and organizations are featured in our “Hall of Shame” for their negatively biased and discriminatory stands and their unethical, false or unscientific claims about the LGBT community.
Please send your nominations to orinamwebber@gmail.com
-Anuradha Ramanan, the famous Tamil writer and novelist, exhibits total insensitivity, complete ignorance and extreme hatred in her column “Anbudan Andharangam” ( Varamalar ). When confused souls struggling to understand their sexual orientation seek advice about homosexuality , some of Ms.Ramanan’s responses are –
“Are you not disgusted by this sexual perversion?”,
” Ewwww…. how can you even think like this?”,
” Why are you spoiling the other person’s life for your lust?” (by falling in love and having a relationship with the person of the same sex).
It is no surprise that the homophobic writer has no scientific knowledge or understanding about sexuality and is unqualified by any standard to offer counseling. All of this qualifies Ms.Anuradha Ramanan for a special place in our hall of shame.
- Aligarh Muslim University [AMU] Management: for its homophobic decision to suspend Prof. Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, Reader and Chairman of Modern Indian Languages Department, who is on the verge of retirement, for having consensual sex with a man at his home. AMU’s sting operation on the professor and capturing what he does behind closed doors is gross violation of his right to privacy. AMU’s decision also goes against Delhi high court’s landmark judgment which decriminalized homosexuality last year, making it legal for two consenting same-sex adults to have sex.
- Baba Ramdev: Baba Ramdev claims homosexuality is a disease. Appealing the Delhi high court judgment, Baba said “Homosexuality can be treated like any other congenital defect. Such tendencies can be treated by yoga, pranayam and other meditation techniques”
- Joint Action Council Kunnur (JACK): JACK was one of the petitioners in the 377 case and was against decriminalizing homosexuality. JACK called the struggle for equality and dignity by LGBT community as “foreign agenda”, “license to criminally transmit disease” among other things. They pointlessly joined the 377 debate, confused issues and made conflating arguments!
- Dr. Shanti Davidar: Dr. Davidar is a leading psychiatrist from Chennai who compares homosexuality to alcoholism and domestic violence.She offers treatment and claims she has already “cured” many!
[Scientific fact - Homosexuality is not a disease that needs curing - WHO (1981), APA (1973)]
- Kamal Farooqui: Inspite of being the Chairman of the Minorities Commission, Farooqui strongly condemns sexual minorities. “Homosexuality is evil, Islam is totally against it. Islam does not allow any unnatural act. No Muslim in the world, let alone India, can ever support it ” he says. “Anti-gay law should stay and we should completely get rid of homosexuality from Indian society”.
- Astrologer Suresh Kumar Kaushal: Kaushal wants the July 2 High Court ruling quashed. “No one can imagine the consequences of the unnatural acts. Even animals don’t indulge in such activities,” his petition stated. He said the High Court judgment would result in spread of HIV as “it has been amply proved that the HIV virus is a result of unnatural sex.”
[Fun fact: same-sex behavior has been recorded in hundreds of species of non-human animals. Check out Evolution's Rainbow by Stanford biologist Joan Roughgarden, and Biological Exuberance by Bruce Bagemihl]
- Delhi Archbishop: “Homosexuals have a tendency to influence others so there is a need to counsel these people without destroying their human dignity. Anything which goes against the definition of being a man, woman and animal are unnatural and the youths should be taught about it”. A delegation led by Archbishop of Delhi met prime minister Manmohan Singh and demanded repeal of Delhi High Court’s ruling decriminalizing homosexuality which they termed ”illegal and immoral”. The leaders said homosexuality is an “intrinsically evil act” and the churches across the country are counseling the youths on this issue.
(Quotes gathered from rediff.com, the Hindu, NDTV, Indian express and other email archives)
