One of my college friends from India lives in California and years ago, started a magazine for Gays and Lesbians from India and South Asia, called Trikone. I just exchanged emails with him about how Rupert Murdoch and News Corp‘s, Star News channel in India chose to censor the pro-gay words by Sean Penn in their Asian broadcasts and especially in India.
Laws making homosexuality illegal in India were passed by the British rulers in the late 1800s and remain on the books. But in recent years there is a vibrant movement centered in Mumbai (Bombay) and supported by eminent intellectuals all over the country to overturn these Victorian practices. Ancient Indian culture tolerate gays, lesbians, transsexuals, and other variants. The prude rulers from foreign lands left behind more than cricket, English and an admiration for “light skin”.
Here is what noted gay writer Sandip Roy had to say for the Huffington Post. Coverage in mainstream American media of this event has been light, but here is a story from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Clearly Rupert’s people in India were afraid that some traditional elements in India may react negatively to the words. But as I said in my book on India, Mr. Murdoch, claimed at the Millken conference in Beverly Hills how he was happy with the legal situation in India and how he had taken two lawsuits to India’s Supreme Court and won both times. Mr. Murdoch, your people who lead Star are letting you down. India can tolerate mention of gayness. In fact its mention might even boost your ratings. Please ask your men to show some spine.
