LGBT community must be fuming as this news trickles in. And the reason for their anger is absolutely valid. Let we inform you that the popular gay coming of age film titled Love, Simon, which was supposed to release in India on June 1, has been delayed indefinitely. This news is very important vis-a-vis gay rights or the lack of them in India as indeed the representation of the LGBT community in the mainstream media.

It has come to the fore that the Indian LGBT community is not happy about the fact that when cinegoers tried to book tickets of the previously announced screening times, on June 1, that is, to their utter surprise, the tickets remained unavailable. Reports clearly suggest that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) banned Love, Simon because of the film’s gay content.

Regardless of that decision, LGBTI community is leaving no stone unturned to convince the CBFC to overturn their decision.  India criminalizes sexual acts ‘against the order of nature’ under Section 377 of the Penal Code. In this regard, the release of this movie was important. The significance of its release was paramount because the film with its radical concept would have brought some untouched debates on the table.

No wonder thenThe hashtags #ReleaseLoveSimoninIndia and #LoveSimon are trending on Twitter. LGBTI representation is important in a  land where gay sex is criminalized. It was only natural that some people have launched online petitions to overturn the decision.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 06, 2018 11:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).