Gay rights activists say media portrays community in bad light

New Delhi: Gay right activists and sex workers today accused the media of portraying them in “bad light” and not taking up their issues in a “constructive” way. The LGBT community, dismayed by yesterday’s Supreme Court judgement on gay sex issue, said often they are shown “cheaply” to garner more TRPs for the channels. The portrayal of sexual minorities by the mainstream media was the topic of discussion at a seminar held in the capital today. Titled ‘Going Beyond Biases: Experience of Marginal Communities’, the seminar organised by CFAR (Centre for Advocacy and Research) brought together sex workers, gay right activists and eminent media personalities to talk about a better engagement between the media and the sexual minority groups. [caption id=“attachment_1284619” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Azaadi (freedom) parade, an event promoting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights in Mumbai. Reuters[/caption] Many gay right activists and sex workers who came from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Maharashtra voiced concerns about the “negative” approach adopted by the media towards the community. Mahesh, a transgender and an activist, talked about “selective” media coverage that shows the sexual minorities in a “bad” light. “The media does not take up our issues in a constructive way. They only want to do cheap programmes that portray us in a bad light and help them get more TRPs for their channels” he said. Beena, a sex worker from Maharashtra, said the need of the hour is mainstreaming the community. “We are the worst affected by HIV AIDS and we are the ones who have taken maximum efforts to create awareness about safe sex practices and prevent HIV. But our contribution is only talked about in the context of HIV. We deal with a whole range of issues. Nobody talks about our children or their education. We call for a system where our rights are not just restricted to HIV prevention. Why aren’t we made a part of the mainstream society” she said. Akhila Shivdas, Director, CFAR, an organisation working with marginal communities, said a dialogue between the sexual minority groups and the media is necessary for a non-biased and factual representation of the community. She added the media should exercise self-regulation when it comes to reporting about vulnerable communities. “Impetus of self-regulation comes when there is an active articulation of the needs of the community. There is a wide perception among sexual minorities of the country that the media image and its coverage is not doing justice to them”, she stated. Commenting on the recent Supreme court ruling setting aside a landmark Delhi High Court judgment decriminalising gay sex and leaving it to the legislature to amend Section 377, Akhila said it came as a “rude shock”. “After the 2009 High court ruling that gave a shimmer of hope to the LGBT community, the recent apex court ruling came as a rude shock to all of us. “The only saving grace is the resilient spirit of the community even after such a verdict” she opined. PTI