TV9’s Homophobic Coverage

At Gaysi we are deeply disappointed by TV9’s homophobic story “Gay Culture Rampant in Hyd”. For cheap sensationalism, TV9, a Telugu channel carried out a slanderous and malicious story outing young gay men from Hyderabad, without their consent. Extremely personal information of these men, including physical statistics, sexual preferences and positions were revealed, blatantly violating their privacy and dignity. In an unconfirmed news, one of the men attempted suicide.

We demand TV9

* To take down the video from TV9’s Youtube channel immediately
* Release a statement promising better understanding and sensitivity to LGBT issues, in the future

You can read the text of the story in English here : Gay Culture Rampant in Hyd

Update :

Feb 23, 2010 : Thanks to all your efforts, the video has been taken down from Youtube.

Feb 25, 2010 : Join us at the protests against TV9 in Mumbai.  For details click here. 

Feb 26, 2010 : Hyderabad Protest outside TV9 at 4 pm, Saturday Feb 26, 2011. Address: TV9 Office, # 97, Road# 3, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. Please spread the word.

Feb 28, 2010 : Delhi protest outside TV9 at 5 PM, Monday Feb 28, 2011. For details click here. Please spread the word.

Protest reports:

Read Mumbai protest report here.

Below is an open letter highlighting TV9’s homophobic story. Please send your polite yet firm response to Ms.A.Padmavathi, who handles the Grievance redressal cell of TV9. You can reach her via email, phone or regular mail. Please share this page with your friends and ask them to voice their opposition to TV9’s blatant act of privacy and rights violation.

Ms. A. Padmavathi,
Legal Co-ordinator
Associated Broadcasting Company
Pvt. Ltd. Plot No.97, Road No.3, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad –… 500 034.
Tel.: 040-23352900 Fax: 040-66660335
Email: padmavathi.appala@tv9.net

Dear Ms. Padmavati,

I have been a big fan of your channel for the past several months and enjoyed your fun filled youtube videos. However I am deeply disappointed to say that I was quite appalled by the youtube segment “Gay Culture Rampant in Hyd”. I was of the impression that your channel has a quite diverse team who would have sensitivity towards marginalized groups be due to caste (quoting your networks original cause to end casteism in India), gender or sexual orientation (GLBT: gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) discrimination.
The United Nations World Health Organization in 1980 declared that being straight or gay or lesbian or bisexual is innately part of the human sexuality after decades of research and scientific data. The American Psychiatric Organization, Psychological association declared the same in 1970’s. Britain which left us with the colonial laws criminalizing gays, changed their laws in 1968. Not to be left out, our own Delhi High Court declared in a monumental case (Naz Foundation vs. NCT) that discrimination based on sexual orientation is anathema to our constitutional morality.

In addition to this, your own  NewBroadcasters Association Code of Ethics and Broadcasting Standards clearly prohibits superstition (Section 2 Article 8 )  to be passed of, as a fact. The video on yotube just did that by accusing those young adults of ‘deviant’ behavior as a fact. This so called ‘fact’ in the video has been thoroughly debunked by decades of actual scientific research and that being gay is not deviant just as there are people who are innately left handed. And add to this our Indian constitution construing sexual orientation rights part of Article 15 and 21 (right to life including dignity and privacy)

With such illustrious acceptance and celebration of the natural vagaries of human sexuality, your youtube comes across as very insensitive to the privacy of the ‘outed’ youths clearly violating dignity and privacy guaranteed by your own Code of Ethics, let alone our Indian Constitution, I am sure you can imagine the social untouchability these young kids would have to face now that you have outed them without their permission.

I pray and hope this was unintended by your channel. If so please refer to the following website which details how the press can handle this issue delicately with sensitivity and care: http://www.glaad.org/reference

I appreciate your patience and any action you could do to correct this wrong.

Please let me know if I can be of any help to assist your organization to obtain more GLBT sensitivity materials. I look forward to patronize your channel that is sensitive to the vulnerable in the society, particularly the minorities (namely gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders).

Best regards,
Velu
Executive team, Orinam.net
orinamwebber@gmail.com

Our thanks to :
Queer Coolie, Gaysi
Velu, Movenpick(MP)/Orinam.net
Press, Movenpick (MP)
Ram Abhireddy, Bangalore (English translation)
Aniruddhan Vasudevan, Shakti Center