India party that wants gay sex to stay illegal advertises on Grindr
‘They are so desperate for votes they are even asking people they think are unnatural,’ say LGBTI activists
An Indian political party that wants gay sex to stay illegal has found a surprising place to advertise for supporters – Grindr.
For the past four days, Indians have been checking the gay hookup app to see the Bharatiya Janata Party’s advertisements.
It shows prime-ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s picture, together with the party’s lotus symbol, calling on gay people to vote BJP.
The largest opposition party in India, its party chief Rajnath Singh was one of the most vocal supporters of the Supreme Court’s decision to bring back a colonial-era law that recriminalized gay sex.
He said: ‘Gay sex is not natural and we cannot support something which is unnatural.’
Gay rights activists in the country have guffawed at how the party is so desperate to bag votes, they are willing to ask the very people they hate.
‘It exposes the utter hypocrisy of the BJP,’ Sukhdeep Singh, gay advocate and editor-in-chief of Gaylaxy, told Gay Star News.
‘This is a crucial election, so crucial that for them they are willing to advertise to gay people. Every vote for them counts.’
He added: ‘No other political party has ever used Grindr to win votes. Other parties are using other social media, but it seems surprising that the most homophobic is using a homosexual app.’
Other gay rights activists have made their feelings known on social media.
Deepak Kashyap said on Twitter: ‘So, BJP says it’d never support the “unnatural act” of homosexuality, but NaMO has no qualms about asking for support on gay dating apps, like Grindr! What a sham(e)!’
When asked for a response, the BJP denied any knowledge of the ad being placed on the website.
‘This is the first I am hearing of such an advertisement,’ the spokesman told DNA.
‘In the first instance it seems like a deliberate act of mischief in the poll season to embarrass our party.’
When gay sex, and any other sex seen as ‘unnatural’, was recriminalized, it was described as the ‘worst event to happen in gay rights’ in recent memory.
The ruling meant an estimated 40 million people’s lives had been made illegal.
Despite several calls from gay rights activists and condemnations from the UN and global organizations, India has chosen to not go back on the Supreme Court’s decision and legalize homosexuality.
For the past four days, Indians have been checking the gay hookup app to see the Bharatiya Janata Party’s advertisements.
It shows prime-ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s picture, together with the party’s lotus symbol, calling on gay people to vote BJP.
The largest opposition party in India, its party chief Rajnath Singh was one of the most vocal supporters of the Supreme Court’s decision to bring back a colonial-era law that recriminalized gay sex.
He said: ‘Gay sex is not natural and we cannot support something which is unnatural.’
Gay rights activists in the country have guffawed at how the party is so desperate to bag votes, they are willing to ask the very people they hate.
‘It exposes the utter hypocrisy of the BJP,’ Sukhdeep Singh, gay advocate and editor-in-chief of Gaylaxy, told Gay Star News.
‘This is a crucial election, so crucial that for them they are willing to advertise to gay people. Every vote for them counts.’
He added: ‘No other political party has ever used Grindr to win votes. Other parties are using other social media, but it seems surprising that the most homophobic is using a homosexual app.’
Other gay rights activists have made their feelings known on social media.
Deepak Kashyap said on Twitter: ‘So, BJP says it’d never support the “unnatural act” of homosexuality, but NaMO has no qualms about asking for support on gay dating apps, like Grindr! What a sham(e)!’
When asked for a response, the BJP denied any knowledge of the ad being placed on the website.
‘This is the first I am hearing of such an advertisement,’ the spokesman told DNA.
‘In the first instance it seems like a deliberate act of mischief in the poll season to embarrass our party.’
When gay sex, and any other sex seen as ‘unnatural’, was recriminalized, it was described as the ‘worst event to happen in gay rights’ in recent memory.
The ruling meant an estimated 40 million people’s lives had been made illegal.
Despite several calls from gay rights activists and condemnations from the UN and global organizations, India has chosen to not go back on the Supreme Court’s decision and legalize homosexuality.
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