Sonam Kapoor Criticizes BJP MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar’s Offensive Comments On LGBTQ Community, Calls Him, ‘Ignorant’, ‘Illiterate’
While many are working towards the LGBTQ+ community having equal rights and there are slow changes happening wherein the community can get a voice. However, there still are people in power who refuse to acknowledge the LGBTQ+ community’s rights in society and don’t even want to allow them the space to have a voice. And these homophobes are extremely vocal about their ignorance and unwillingness to learn about the community. One such person is BJP MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar who recently went on a homophobic rant and said that asexual people could have relationships with animals (yeah, make it make sense). Not only was he condemned by the people of the community but also by Sonam Kapoor who posted about this on her Instagram story.
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Mungantiwar’s homophobic rant was in reference to Maharashtra Public University Act, 2016 which intended to include people from the LGBTQ+ community on the University Board. He questioned people from the community being board members. Moreover, he said there is no way to prove that someone is from the community (just like there is no way to PROVE that one is straight, but okay). Mungantiwar then attacked the asexuals saying that their relationship has no real definition and if they happen to have relationships with animals, how is the animal going to validate their relationship (catch me looking for the logic on this one). Other politicians including former CM Devendra Fadnavis stayed quiet or were laughing about the derogatory homophobic statements.
Sonam Kapoor came onto Instagram and posted a story of Mungantiwar’s rant from the Instagram account Yes, We Exist India. She wrote “Ignorant, illiterate and hurtful.” (did she lie though?)
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Uday Samant who is the Higher and Technical Education Minister reportedly replied to the MLAs rant against the LGBTQ+ community saying, “There are several judgements by the Supreme court about equal opportunities. By only pointing at this issue, the member (Mungantiwar) is trying to mislead… There is nothing new that we are doing, there are similar laws made in other parts of the country. We have brought the amendment bill only after discussing with experts.” India Today has reported that BJP has been opposing the LGBTQ+ community’s inclusion into University boards. They claim that this is just the Maharashtra state government’s plot to take control over the universities (maybe they can take a similar initiative rather than discouraging others).
I stand by what Sonam Kapoor said in this regard. I cannot wrap my head around this level of hatred. With the number of resources that the internet has to offer, there is no excuse for this type of ignorance about the LGBTQ+ community. It is high time we have people from the community as active parts of these discussions just so ignorant homophobic people do not get the option to ridicule them like this. We’re all aware that derogatory statements about other communities would not be tolerated, so why is it okay when it is the LGBTQ+?
