Vidya Balan, Sonam Kapoor, Taapsee Pannu: Meet the Bollywood celebs that support the LGBTQIA+ community

While movies have often told their stories, and brought LGBTQIA+ characters to life on screen, the community is finding support from stars off screen too – this time, as allies. Several actors have come forward in recent times to vociferously voice their support as allies and activists – using both, their platforms as stars and their craft to do so.Here’s a look at celebs who are playing the role of ally to the T.

Among the community’s strongest and oldest allies is Celina Jaitly. “The reality is that LGBTQIA+ rights, which are universally recognised and agreed upon, are routinely being denied to people just because they happen to be – or are assumed to be – gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex. That is something we have a duty to acknowledge and address in a concerted way,” she tells us.
The actress had earlier revealed that she turned activist because of her first make-up artiste Probir Kumar De. “Probir da was a transgender, wore a salwar kameez and fought his own battles as he rose from his middle-class roots, braving taunts of ‘hijra’. When I didn’t have money as a student in Kolkata, he would buy me lipsticks. He considered me his daughter. I wanted to gift Probir da a car for his birthday but he died three months before that. I always promised myself that I would take up the cause of gay rights when I could and that’s what I’m doing now,” she said in an interview in 2011.
From participating in pride marches and queer film festivals, to highlighting the plight of the Indian LGBTQIA+ community internationally and closely working with NGOs and the UN to support gay rights, Celina has been a strong LGBTQIA+ ally all through her life, and feels that fighting for their rights is her duty. In June, in an Instagram post celebrating Pride Month, Richa Chadha proudly declared herself an LGBTQIA+ ally, and spoke about why the role is so important.

Tillotama Shome, who shared a flat with “the most loving Asian gay couple” while studying in New York City, says, “So yes, I walked the pride, and my mother knit rainbow-hued gifts for them. But the struggle to win acceptance from their own family was extremely complex and varied.” To any public figure seeking to be an ally, she cautions, “Pride was borne out of protest. It has grown into a celebration of diversity in a public space – but it is still a protest. A protest not just against archaic laws but also prejudices in our hearts. An actor or any public figure who has, for whatever reason, captured the attention of the majority is in a position to share ‘personal views’ on subject matters that fly against the very fabric of democracy and civil rights. But a word of caution here. A large part of being an ally is to educate yourself about the challenges of the marginalised community. So yes, we must support, but in an informed way, and without capitalising on it and making it about ourselves.”
“By repealing Section #377, India has joined the ranks of other progressive nations in the world. For the common man, there’s now a growing understanding that being LGBTQIA+ is normal. But repealing the law on paper and having greater acceptability as an LGBTQIA+ in society are very different things. We need to work tirelessly to remove ignorance, misinformation and stigma attached to the community and its choices. Life must be made easier. An open and welcoming approach to the LGBTQIA+ must percolate down to the tier two cities and villages in India, and not stay restricted to the cosmopolitans. As a society, we must become more inclusive and aware about all genders and their needs. The role of LGBTQIA+ allies is crucial in this regard, as we can help bring issues of stereotyping and harassment to the notice of people and popular media. We should team up with artistes who fight for freedom of expression, against censorship, and also join hands with those fighting for marginalised groups,” wrote Richa.

Divya Dutta, who will play romantic partner to Swara Bhasker, in Faraz Arif Ansari’s upcoming film Sheer Khurma, says that sometimes being an ally is also about celebrating the community, and contributing towards any change for the better. She says, “I am extremely close to the LGBTQIA+ community and I feel they have the right to live the way they want to live and express themselves and not be undercover and hide. I, on my part, try to be part of the change. A few times, some of my friends came out to me first, and it felt good to be there and celebrate that moment with them. We must all celebrate them.”

Arjun Mathur, who has played a gay character on screen more than once, says he does his bit to counter homophobia off screen too. “When my last show released, an otherwise congratulatory and appreciative message I received from an acquaintance, ended with a ‘hope you turn straight in season two!’ I shook my head, thanked him and politely asked him to try to not be a homophobe. Let’s hope that by season two, he’s not!”
What LGBTQIA+ rights mean to these Bollywood celebs…

A person’s sexuality is something one is born with, and it’s high time people understand that, be it a man or a woman, it’s a basic human right. It’s not about lesbian, gay, male, female or transsexual. It’s about being able to be who you want to be and being somebody who is just themselves. I have advocated that from the beginning of my career. —Sonam Kapoor

I am a proud feminist, but that does not mean demanding more rights. It means equality and nothing else, and the same goes for LGBTQIA+ rights. India gained freedom in 1947 but the LGBTQIA+ community got freedom last year. Too late, but finally, we as a country can take pride in that. And fight for equality. — Taapsee Pannu

Some of my closest friends are gay, and it has never been an issue for me. For me, it is for and within the category for advocating for freedom to love, which is the most important thing for every human being. I feel the community, post the Section 377 verdict, has a sense of power, as they continue to raise their voice and we should all feel encouraged by it. — Lisa Ray

I feel that any kind of discrimination, be it on the basis of caste, class or sexuality, is a form of hate. When I did Dhadak, it had an underlying message, and talked about the power of love over hatred. Love is what should unite us all. — Ishaan Khatter

Love cannot be categorised in a certain manner. You love your mother, father, siblings and companion. If a man loves a man and woman a woman, how can it harm anybody? I’m happy that people can now love openly in India and I personally supported it on social media, when Section 377 was read down. If we are not free to love in our own country, that would have been a sad situation right? — Aayush Sharma