Bollywood Actor Ajay Devgan’s Comments Homophobic?
How many Indians are gay, lesbian or homosexual? This is a very difficult question to answer because such issues are still very sensitive in modern day India. Most Indians who are familiar with world history understand that India and most of the world had a much more permissive attitude towards individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) a few centuries ago than today.
In an interview Gary Gates who is a senior research fellow at The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy said the following “What do you mean when you use the word “gay”? If you mean people who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual in a survey, then the answer is that it’s likely not one in ten, but closer to one in twenty. A recent government survey found that 4 percent of adults aged 18-45 identified as “homosexual” or “bisexual”. A similar proportion of voters identify as GLB. If you define gay as having same-sex attractions or behaviors, you do get higher proportions that are a bit closer to the one in ten figures”.
Whether the number is 5% of the overall population or 10% of the overall population it is clear that there are millions of people all over the world including India who belong to the LGBT community. As society becomes more liberal, the LGBT community is now courted by many groups just like any other socio economic groups. It is in this context that I found the comments by Bollywood actor Ajay Devgan’s comments very unusual.
Most Bollywood actors and actresses just like their counterparts in Hollywood will do and say anything just to stay relevant and get paid. He has gone “topless” (which is not a big deal in India anymore) in Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal-3. The actor talked about his semi-nude scenes and said “I’ve done this because I feel very confident about the way my body looks”. Is he really that confident? Please continue reading.
When the interviewer asked him why he does not flaunt his abs more in movies Ajay Devgan responded “The concept of six packs is very juvenile. If I need six packs, I can get it in a fortnight with a good mix of cardio and weight training. However, why should I want to flaunt six packs? I’m not a gay icon”. Suddenly a man who a moment ago was very confident about how his body looks is now insecure about his sexuality.
Apparently Ajay Devgan has no problems with straight men or women looking at his semi-naked body in movies and admiring him but has some reservations about gay men admiring him? It is no secret that many of the prominent male and female actors in India and elsewhere are also extremely popular among the LGBT community. Why would he make such a comment and potentially isolate this group? Would he dare to make such a comment against a particular religious or caste group?
“When we talk about values, I think of rationality in solving problems. That’s something I value. Fairness, kindness, generosity, tolerance. When they talk about values, they’re talking about things like going to Church, voting for Bush, being loyal to Jesus, praying. These are not values” – American Comedian Bill Maher.
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Category: Culture & Religion