Saturday May 26, 3:45 PM     Reuters

*India's "Queerfest" targets anti-gay law, prejudice*

By Palash Kumar

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Hundreds of India's closet gays and lesbians came
out to celebrate their sexuality with the launch of a 10-day festival in
New Delhi, hoping to build on a campaign against the country's strict
anti-gay law.

The "Nigah QueerFest '07" kicked off late on Friday with a film
screening, a lot of bonhomie and laughter -- a rarity for most Indian
gays who are often scorned and persecuted for even holding hands in public.

"This festival is a celebration of our sexuality," said Gautam Bhan, a
tall gay rights activist.

"We are seeking our own space through culture and at the same time,
conveying our opposition to Section 377," he added, referring to the
anti-gay law.

Homosexuality is a crime in India and can result in a jail term of at
least 10 years.

While the British colonial-era law has rarely been enforced, activists
say it has become a tool for police to harass gay and lesbian couples in
order to get bribes.

If couples refuse or are unable to pay a bribe, they are often put in
dingy cells, brutally beaten and humiliated.

Being called gay is widely considered an insult in a country where
ancient temples, murals and other arts such as the "Kama Sutra" -- the
cult book of love written by an Indian ascetic 2,000 years ago --
graphically describe gay sex.

India's flourishing Hindi film industry, Bollywood, has often used gays
as characters of humour and ridicule.

Recent films which have attempted to be more sensitive towards
homosexuals have been greeted with fiery protests by right wing Hindu
hardliners.

The anti-gay law, which dates back to the 19th century, is now being
questioned by gay rights groups who argue that not only is it an abuse
of human rights but also acts as an impediment in the fight against
HIV/AIDS in India.

However, the government says Indian society is not ready to legalise
homosexuality. A court judgement is pending.

Activists say the festival -- which will include talks, photo
exhibitions, films, performances and a candlelight vigil -- is an
attempt to use culture to help society recognise the rights of India's
homosexuals.

Shrenik, a filmmaker who will screen his film about the subtle
flirtation between a gay male couple who try to steal a moment in a
crowded bus -- a telling example of how law comes in the way of love --
said the anti-gay law has to be scrapped.