Gay sex ruling to free India’s ‘pink economy’

Mumbai, India – From LGBT nightclubs to “gaycations” and more, a court ruling legalizing homosexuality in India is set to unlock one of the world’s largest “pink economies”, experts said.

The Supreme Court’s historic decision last week to scrap a colonial-era ban on gay sex sparked joy as activists held rainbow-colored celebrations across the country.


Now the community can expect to see businesses lining up to offer a range of tailored products, in fashion, health and other industries, providing a massive boost to Asia’s third-biggest economy.

“It can bring billions of dollars to the Indian economy if they can activate the spending of gay people in India,” Keshav Suri, a hotelier and petitioner in the landmark case, told AFP.

“There is business to be done, real estate to be bought and sold, holidays and all the services that go with that.”

“The value of the pink economy and the social aspects of the LGBT community are too large now for us to ignore,” added Suri, executive director of the Lalit hotel group.

India is home to more than 55 million LGBT adults, according to Out Now Consulting, a marketing agency that helps businesses target gay and lesbian consumers.

Their nominal income is around $113 billion annually, the firm estimates. LGBT couples have fewer children than other groups and higher-than-average salaries, meaning plenty of disposable cash.

“They represent one of the world’s largest LGBT markets,” Ian Johnson, founder of the Australia-based Out Now Consulting, told AFP.

He made a prediction that drinks brands and travel companies will be the first to target the LGBT community following the scrapping of Section 377, which was introduced 157 years ago.

LGBT bars, clubs and cafes will provide new employment and boost sales in the food and alcohol industries while people will be able to attend holidays designed specifically for the gay market without fear of legal reprisal.

Nakshatra Bagwe, a Mumbai-based entrepreneur, runs The BackPack Travels, a company specializing in organizing trips for LGBT tourists.

He said it has been profitable since it was set up in October 2016 but he expects to see an increase in revenue following the law change.

“With legality and freedom on our side businesses will invest in the community and opportunities will increase in the coming years,” he told AFP.

Legal and free

Inder Vhatwar, another businessman based in India’s financial capital, also hopes to profit from the ruling by judges who said members of the gay community deserve an apology for the treatment they have suffered.

Shortly after gay sex was briefly decriminalized before by the Delhi High Court in 2009, Vhatwar opened a store called D’Kloset in Mumbai’s trendy neighborhood of Bandra, where several Bollywood stars live.

He sold glitzy clothes, handbags and party masks, but after the ban was reinstated in 2013 Vhatwar was evicted by his landlord.

“I faced a lot of challenges due to Section 377 and had to shut down but with this recent judgement I am planning to start the store again,” the 37-year-old told AFP.

Gay sex has long been a taboo subject for many in socially conservative India, with religious groups in particular fiercely opposing any liberalization of sexual morality.

The World Bank said in a 2014 report that homophobic attitudes and a reluctance to hire LGBT people hampered India’s economic growth by up to 1.7 percent annually.

Research shows that LGBT-friendly policies in the workplace, such as equality training and non-discriminatory hiring practices, can boost profitability.

Activists expressed hope the court ruling will help shift attitudes and boost the LGBT community’s economic engagement as the commercial benefits are realized.

“The LGBT community is definitely an untapped market. The business potential is huge and set to grow,” Parmesh Shahani, who heads up the cultural arm of India’s Godrej conglomerate, told AFP.

“The verdict will catalyze change and more companies will invest in products and services catering to the community. I hope the judgment creates more jobs and companies vie for LGBTQ talent,” he added. /kga

source: business.inquirer.net

Jack Whitehall to play first openly gay Disney character

British comedian and actor Jack Whitehall will play a gay character in Disney’s next adventure film “Jungle Cruise”, to be directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (“Non-Stop”, “Unknown”).

Inspired by the eponymous “Disney World” theme-park ride, the film will tell the tale of a jungle expedition to find a medicinal tree, which finds itself beset by all kinds of dangers.

Described as a turning point in the history of Disney, the film will see Whitehall, who plays the lead in the TV series “Fresh Meat”, Emily Blunt (“Edge Of Tomorrow”, “Sicaro”) and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (“Skyscraper”, “Jumanji”) embark on a wild adventure in the heart of the jungle.

The film will be set in the 19th century, a time when homosexuality was not very socially acceptable. Whitehall will play the brother of Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt), an amusing and effeminate man who shows no interest in the opposite sex.

The feature is due for release in October 2019. The cast of “Jungle Cruise” will also include Edgar Ramirez (“Point Break”) and Paul Giamatti, who played Freeman in the Oscar-winning “12 Years a Slave”. JB

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

Russia asked to end alleged killings of gays in Chechnya

MOSCOW— International organizations on Thursday urged the Russian government to investigate the reported abuse and killings of gay men in Russia’s southern republic of Chechnya.

The respected Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta reported earlier this month that police in the predominantly Muslim republic of Chechnya have rounded up more than 100 men suspected of homosexuality and that at least three of them have been killed.

Chechen authorities have denied the reports, while the spokesman for leader Ramzan Kadyrov insisted there were no gay people in Chechnya.

The United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights called upon the Russian government in a statement “to put an end to the persecution of people perceived to be gay or bisexual … who are living in a climate of fear fueled by homophobic speeches by local authorities.”

Separately, the director of the human rights office at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Michael Georg Link, said Thursday that Moscow must “urgently investigate the alleged disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment” of gay men in Chechnya.

After two separatist wars in the 1990s, predominantly Muslim Chechnya became increasingly conservative under late President Akhmat Kadyrov and then his son Ramzan.

Novaya Gazeta also reported this month that Chechen authorities are running a secret prison in the town of Argun where men suspected of being gay are kept and tortured.

Several hundred people rallied on Wednesday evening outside the Russian embassy in London, waving rainbow flags. One placard read “Love is love” in Russian.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Hong Kong LGBT protesters say city lags behind in gay rights

HONG KONG, China—Hong Kong’s streets were a sea of rainbow flags on Saturday as protesters marched in the city’s annual gay pride parade to call for equality and same-sex marriage.

Around a thousand demonstrators paraded through downtown Hong Kong, with many complaining that the city lags behind other major Asian hubs in terms of LGBT rights.

“There’s still a lot of room to improve, compared to Taiwan and even to Japan,” Carol Yung, a 40-year-old marketing officer in the music industry, told AFP.

“These days they are … already discussing about same-sex marriage, but in Hong Kong we’re still very far behind,” Yung said.

Taiwan, which held a massive pride parade attended by nearly 80,000 people last month, is one of the most progressive Asian countries when it comes to homosexuality, but a bill to make same-sex marriage legal has been stalled in parliament since it was first proposed in 2013.

Hong Kong’s LGBT community has for years sought a ban on discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.

LGBT issues are in the spotlight again this month after comments from the city’s Catholic bishop, which angered many in the community.

Cardinal John Tong, in a letter published Thursday, said concepts of marriage and family were being “challenged” by what he called “the gay movement.”

If a Sexual Orientation Discrimination Ordinance were enacted, or gay marriage legalized “this would force our society into undergoing a change that would turn it upside-down,” Tong said.

In another development, the judgement for a landmark court case, in which a gay British woman challenged the government’s refusal to grant her a visa to live in the territory with her partner, is expected in November.

QT, as she is referred to in court, had called the authorities’ decision to be “discriminatory.” She entered into a civil partnership in Britain in 2011 and moved to Hong Kong in the same year after her partner was offered a job in the city.

One of Saturday’s marchers, Mark Green, 54, who works in the city’s fashion industry, told AFP however that things were progressing.

“I think Hong Kong is making enormous progress. We’re seeing changes … in the way that people react and respond to gay people in the work place and society,” Green said.

But “the government is really a little bit behind the times when it comes to recognizing LGBT rights,” he said, adding that even China recognizes the need to give same-sex couples dependent visas.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

WATCH: Gay marriage proposal on Beijing’s subway gets buzz online

One man’s unconventional marriage proposal to his boyfriend onboard the subway in Beijing has set tongues wagging—in a good way—on the Internet.

Online news site Shanghaiist reported that the proposal took place on a rainbow-decorated train carriage on Line 1 of Beijing’s metro system.

A 43-second video posted on YouTube showed the man kneeling down in front of his stunned partner as he popped the all-important question while holding out a watch.

“Today I invite all the people we know and do not know to bear witness,” he declared in Mandarin as the majority of commuters in the carriage cheered him on and broke into applause.

There were also calls for them to kiss as they embraced each other after the successful proposal.

Images of the incident have since gone viral in China, with microblogging site Weibo flooded with positive comments and messages of encouragement for the couple.

The original post has been shared more than 10,000 times on Weibo, CNN reported.

One user wrote: “This type of love really needs courage, bless you!”




Gay marriage is not legal in China, although public perception towards rights for gays has shifted for the better. Homosexuality was decriminalized in 1997.

In June, gay dating app Blued tied up with popular Chinese online shopping site Taobao to send 10 gay couples to the US to get hitched legally.


A gay couple also held their wedding ceremony in Beijing, a day after the US legalized same sex marriage in all 50 states on June 26.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Lady Gaga supports LGBT people in Russia, invites arrest from authorities

US superstar Lady Gaga has revealed her support for LGBT people in Russia, after it was recently revealed that she had been accused of spreading 'gay propaganda' in the country during her 2012 visit.

The 'Marry The Night' singer has been criticised by Russian politicians of promoting homosexuality during her 2012 Born This Way ball tour, as well as travelling to the country without the appropriate paperwork. The country has also come under scrutiny in the press recently concerning its treatment of gay and lesbian people, where homophobia is still a widespread issue among the population.

Lady Gaga took to Facebook and Twitter to address the Russian situation, and the accusations levelled at her.

"Sending bravery to LGBTs in Russia," she wrote on Facebook. "The rise in government abuse is archaic. Hosing teenagers with pepper spray? Beatings? Mother Russia? The Russian government is criminal. Oppression will be met with revolution. Russian LGBTs you are not alone. We will fight for your freedom.

"Why didn't you arrest me when you had the chance, Russia? Because you didn't want answer to the world?"

She also took to Twitter to repeat her message.




An investigation has recently been launched into Gaga's time spent in Russia following the second allegation that she broke the law by possessing the incorrect visa.

The star has been accused of performing in the country on a tourist visa, another illegal act, as the singer was making money.


A statement from Russia has been released claiming "The visas issued were of the basic cultural exchange sort, which does not grant their bearers the right to engage in any commercial activity."

The cases will now be forwarded to the Foreign Ministry and the Federal Migration Service for further investigation.


source: gigwise.com