Saturday, April 25, 2009

Why Celina fights for Gay Rights?

celina jaitley

We all know that Celina Jaitley is probably the only Bollywood celebrity who not just supports gay rights and the fights against gay discrimination by her talk but also by action. She took part in the Gay Pride Parade in Mumbai held last year and recently was the chief guest at the re-launch of  Bombay Dost.

Celina has always said that she does this because she has seen homosexuality up close and knows what it is like to be gay and to be discriminated against. Till now it has been assumed that probably one of her best friends is gay. Now she has revealed that in addition to having some close gay friends, the main reason for her support to the gay community is that her first boyfriend was gay.

It would have been so easy for Celina to have been bitter about her first boyfriend's betrayal who used her to hide his own sexuality. It would have been so easy for her to just label all gay people as freaks and to move on with her life but she did none of that. She sat down and thought about what people like her first boyfriend must have to go through to lead a normal life. She tried to understand the reason her boyfriend had to act straight in our society. That introspection led her to realize what difficulties the LGBT community faces and what a big fight it is for them to even lead a normal life that is taken for granted by heterosexuals.

Celina, we want to thank you for boldly doing what no one else is ready to do and for believing in our cause. A lot of people have condemned you for being an open supporter of the gay community. You have received a lot of hate-mails from homophobic people who are probably in denial of their own sexuality .We, members of the gay community, salute you for your support and hope that you continue to do provide it to us.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Shirtless Bollywood Guys

One pet peeve I have about Bollywood male celebs is that they do not bare their skin as much as their Hollywood counterparts. We hardly see them shirtless let alone naked or in their underwear. Here is an assortment of pictures of shirtless Bollywood guys.

Starting with Shirtless Aamir Khan

Aamir Khan

Aamir Khan

Shirtless Akshay Kumar

Akshay Kumar

Shirtless Arjun Rampal

Arjun Rampal

Arjun Rampal

Shirtless Ashmit Patel

Ashmit Patel

Shirtless Dino Morea

Dino Morea

Dino Morea

Shirtless Hrithik Roshan

Hrithik Roshan

Shirtless John Abraham

John Abraham

Shirtless Ranbir Kapoor

Ranbir Kapoor

Shirtless Saif Ali Khan

Saif Ali Khan

Saif Ali Khan

Shirtless Salmaan Khan

Salman Khan

Shirtless Shahid Kapoor

Shahid Kapoor

Shirtless Sohail Khan

Sohail Khan

Shirtless Upen Patel

Upen Patel

Shirtless Zayed Khan

Zayed Khan

Zayed Khan

Shirtless Zulfi Syed

Zulfi Syed

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Bombay Dost is back

I am quite excited about this news. For those who do not know, Bombay Dost was India's first and only gay magazine. It used to be published before the Internet era and was probably the only link for gay guys with the gay world in those days. This was before my time and I have never seen any issue of the magazine. My search for old editions proved fruitless, although I probably didn't try that hard.

Now it is coming back. Here is the message that I received today:

Bombay Dost

Bombay Dost, India’s first LGBT magazine, is returning in a new, bolder-than-ever avatar. The boldness has to do with the forthrightness with which LGBT cultural expression is showcased.

The magazine is now a  full 56-colour pages with a glossy cover.

Highlights of the re-launch issue include: a round-up and analysis of events in the past year; Bombay Dost’s people of the year; an alternative guide to cinema featuring 100 films that have a queer resonance; articles by Ruth Vanitha and Sandip Roy; original, new art and short fiction; tributes to Nishit Saran and Chetan Datar; a translation of ‘Lihaaf’; extract from Amruta Patil’s ‘Kari’; essays on bisexuality and on friendships between gay and straight men; a rewind to the beginning of ‘Bombay Dost’ in 1990; interviews with Mr Gay Europe and Mr Gay India; and lots more.

The re-launch edition is truly a collector’s item. Watch this space for the launch date and where to pick up your copy.

The relaunch of the magazine is supported by UNDP and The Humsafar Trust.

You may visit us  at the below site for a sneak preview

www.bombaydost.co.in

I can't wait to get my hands on the first edition of the new Bombay Dost. I wish the very best of luck to the Bombay Dost team and hope that it scales new heights and brings about a gay revolution here in India.