Ridhi Dogra Talks About The Plight Of The LGBTQ Community: “No One Should Have To Fight For Their Rights”
Until a few years ago, people treated Pride month as a joke. And now, suddenly, every brand, every organization changes their logo to feature the rainbow flag all month long. Don’t get me wrong, I am well aware that the LGBTQ+ community needs all the support they can get, but changing a logo is not actually helping anyone. People from the community are still ostracized by the society. As actor Ridhi Dogra recently pointed out, they still have to fight for every basic right. At the end of the day, there is a severe dearth of awareness and education. Which is why, when someone comes out to their family, they are, more often than not, dragged to a “doctor” and given lectures about how God thinks being gay is “unnatural”. How do most people not understand the basic concept of love is love? No one gets to choose.
That being said, there are attempts being made to spread awareness and normalize same-sex relationships, particularly through arts and entertainment. One of the more recent attempts was made by Ekta Kapoor through her show The Married Woman that released earlier this year. The show, starring Ridhi Dogra and Monica Dogra, is based on a book by the same name and revolves around two women trying to accept their sexuality in a society that doesn’t treat same-sex relationships all too well.
Talking about the plight of the LGBTQ+ community, Ridhi Dogra spoke to the media, “LGBTQ+ community has been fighting for their rights for many years. It’s quite sad as I feel no one should have to fight for their rights, and no one should tell you what is okay and what isn’t. You are not running someone’s life — it is about time people take this seriously. One doesn’t need to be from the LGBTQ+ community to stand up for their rights. We should fight for their right as much as we fight for women’s and children’s.”
View this post on Instagram
Also Read: Ekta Kapoor Wants To Normalise Same-Sex Relationships By Releasing LGBTQ Shows. We’re Here For It!
She went on to say, “On one hand I am happy that people are expressing their opinions, but on the other hand, it is sad that we are expected to normalise things which are already normal, and by that I mean love. When it comes to individual interactions, people might still accept your point of view. But, when it comes to the opinion of the society at large, that’s when problems occur. There are parents who might agree with their child coming out. But when they hear people talking not-so-positive things about their child, that’s when it affects them. I am going to look at the people who are coming out in support of the community, rather than the ones who aren’t. Because Pride Month is about love.”
People, in our country, are being more accepting and are voicing their opinions, but we still have a long way to go until the LGBTQ+ community is fully accepted by society. To get there, we need to spread as much awareness and educate as many people as possible. It’s as Ridhi Dogra said, you don’t have to be part of the LGBTQ community to help and support them. All it takes is a little empathy and compassion.
A List Of LGBTQ+- Friendly Support Groups And Organisations In India That You Can Turn To
