The United Nation’s Bollywood music video ‘The Welcome’ has already created much furore across social media sites, garnering much support and accolades from people.
Ever since the Delhi High court judgment of 2009, the LGBT community has not only dared to come out from the closet but has also secured a representation (not that there hasn’t been any before) on screen. This music video, featuring Celina Jaitley, has been made in support of ‘Free and Equal rights’ for the LGBT community. However, one must realize that mere glorification of same-sex coupledom on screen is not what is enough, and not what the LGBT community seeks as validation.
The video has missed the mark in many respects.
It is exclusionary
The video says that it is in support of LGBT rights, however by representing ONLY gays and solidifying the union in an apparent affluent marriage setup has invisibilized other sexual minorities.
Could the video have shown two lesbian women?
In a nation where even heterosexual women face violence and oppression, could the UN have dared to show two lesbians? What about the rights of transgenders and other sexual minorities then? The blooper is indicative of male dominance within the LGBT community itself.
A very disturbing element of the video is the lush and posh setting that catches attention at the first go! The queer movement in our country has always been accused of being elitist and classist. How many gay people can afford to make such a celebratory, filmy style ‘come out’?
If the video makers aimed at reaching out to the Indian queer community, then certainly this video has defeated the purpose in terms of its reachability and relativity.
A ‘new’ way of life?
Time and again, the Right-wingers have labelled homosexuality as a western import that poses a threat to the moral fabric of society. This video, instead of being able to counter that, has added fuel to that allegation.
At a point, when Grandma is shocked to see the homosexual couple, Celina Jaitley says, “It is a new look. It is a new attitude’”. The ignorance and lack of information of the video makers is appalling.
How conveniently it erases the rich, queer, homoerotic cultural past of India that has time and again been manifested in temple architectures, Kamasutra and other cultural iconography. Giving the self-appointed critics of LGBT community an opportunity to strengthen their already distorted arguments.
An understood politics!
Being queer is a political statement that one makes; it is not only a sexual position, rather, sexuality becomes politics in this case. It is a politics of non-alliance with orthodox institutions and sawing them down.
The video celebrates and integrates the gay couple and this is precisely what is problematic. ‘Integration’ is not desired; merging with the very institutions of ‘marriage’ and ‘family’ would mean agreeing and not rebelling.
The video makers simply did not get the politics right. Its apparent championing of ‘marriage’ [as evident in the matrimonial kind of a setup] is an (in)visible endorsement of patriarchy.
Having said, that, the intention of the UN cannot be questioned. There are problems in the video but they should not be seen as an end in themselves. There should be ways to counter the video’s lacking; through discussions, talks, and perhaps through other videos that are more politically correct, inclusive and far reaching.