Nai Dunia (Indore Edition) on Sunday, 15th April 2012 published a news report on two girls who ran away from home to another city because they wished to live together as a couple. In fact, the newspaper went a few steps ahead in their effort towards award-winning journalism and printed the full name of the girls, their age, address and the location of their hideout.
With this kind of reporting which puts the girls’ lives in danger (knowing how families and moral police have acted in the past), one is forced to question the efforts of queer-focused NGOs and groups when it comes to media sensitization.
On one hand, we have queer youth in several corners of the country wishing to step out of the closet, hoping for an existence free of fear and repercussion, irrespective of their gender and sexuality. But on the other end, we have TRP and circulation-hungry news organisations pushing these very individuals behind closed doors, all thanks to their irresponsible practices and callous attitudes.
While media sensitization is a must and should be an ongoing process but is it enough to keep these Main Stream Media savages within their boundaries?
If we can have a law such as IPC 228 A that prohibits identifying a rape victim even in court judgments, shouldn’t we seek a similar law wherein identity of individuals (minor or adult) in gender/sexuality related cases are also protected?
