Speaker at UoH faces student backlash for ‘homosexuality is unnatural’ comment

According to a statement issued by the ‘HCU’ unit of Students’ Federation of India on Thursday, a section of students of the University of Hyderabad condemned the comments allegedly made by a speaker at a session organized by the Ministry of Hindi.

According to SFI’s statement, famous writer from Uttar Pradesh, Neerja Madhav, singled out a gay student during the session and said “homosexuality is unnatural and such communities are responsible for the spread of diseases like AIDS”.

The alleged remarks were made on Tuesday when Ms Madhav was the guest speaker at a session on Hindi literature and its various criticisms.

As seen in short video clips from the scene, Ms. Madhav got nervous while leaving the campus in her vehicle and the students demanded an apology from her. In the middle of the slogans, protesting students and the guest writer were also seen engaging in discussion.

On the same day, the School of Humanities and the gay collective Sexual and Gender Alliance called for an immediate protest. Later, the ministry also issued a statement, asserting that Ms. Madhav was “solely responsible for the statements she allegedly made” and that the ministry had nothing to do with it. The Ministry also stated that it will act carefully to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.

Separately, the student organization also noted that a similar incident took place in the same department last semester, where several gay students were targeted and verbally attacked. Following Tuesday’s incident, the head of the department was said to have assured that he would soon conduct compulsory gender sensitivity classes in collaboration with student representatives from the Council and Board.

Ms Madhav could not be reached for comment but confirmed reports about the incident published by the Hindi daily newspaper. Amar Ujala on his Facebook page on Thursday.

Apart from the references to gherao, the report states that the controversy broke out after a question-and-answer session in which several students asked questions about homosexuality and its references to homosexuality. Manusmriti and hence the basis for its legal recognition.

“Homosexuality may be a mental need or a personal preference, but it is not the same as the third gender issue. Those belonging to the third gender live cursed lives due to a cruel twist of nature,” Ms. Madhav said. He also asked how many people in the auditorium had read the original. Manusmritiand precisely the importance of the study – to criticize it.

“Why should I apologize when I didn’t say anything wrong? It’s impossible for me to apologize. Everything I said is the truth. You may not agree,” he added, quoting him in the report.

Ms. Madhav received the Nari Shakti Puraskar award in 2021. His works include: YamdeepAbout the daily lives and social rejection of transgender people Geshe Jampa – warrior of TibetAnd 5-Diary of avarna woman police officeramong others.