India’s first ‘gay groom’ wanted ad has a caste preference
Gay rights activist receives backlash for matrimonial ad.
A very dear friend of mine @hiyer is looking for a man who can be his for life. Here’s the matrimony ad, pic.twitter.com/jsKzIp1ZWi
— Varun Singh (@singhvarun) May 19, 2015
Mumbai-based gay rights activist and former Stream guest, Harrish Iyer, was hit with a wave of criticism after his mother added a caste preference to his historic matrimonial advertisement.
Iyer’s mother, Padma, placed India’s first ‘gay groom’ wanted ad in Mid-Day newspaper on Tuesday after several other publications rejected her request.
The ad, which sought a “animal-loving, vegetarian” groom, came under fire for also stating a caste preference. Padma Iyer added “Iyer preferred”, referring to an upper caste community of Brahmins.
While a number of people praised the ad as a positive move for LGBT rights in India, others questioned the mention of caste.