[Reader-list] FW: Students expelled for making film on homosexuality -sign theprotest letter

[Shilpa Phadke]

-----Original Message-----
From: vikalp at yahoogroups.com [mailto:vikalp at yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
Tarunabh Khaitan
Sent: Friday, May 11, 2007 1:55 PM
To: vikalp at yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [vikalp] Students expelled for making film on homosexuality
-signthe protest letter


This is a petition to the college authorities who expelled 5 students 
for making a film on homosexuality. please email Mayur Suresh, 
Alternative Law Forum, Bangalore <***mayur at altlawforum.org 
<mailto:mayur at altlawforum.org>*> with your name and designation if you 
want to sign it. Please feel free to circulate.

** Please go through the following petition. If you do wish to sign on, 
please send an email, with your name and designation, if any, to 
mayur at altlawforum.org <mailto:mayur at altlawforum.org>.*

To,

The Principal

St. Josephs College of Communication,

Changanassery

Dear Ma'am/Sir,

Re: Students expelled for making film on homosexuality.

We are deeply disturbed at the expulsion of five students from your 
institution on the ground that they made a film that explores homosexual 
themes. The film titled 'Secret Minds', as you are aware, is a short 
film on homosexuality made as an entry for the competition section of an 
inter-college short film festival in Thiruvananthapuram.

According to newspaper reports the management of your institution felt 
that the film, by portraying homosexuality had transgressed the limits 
of decency and moral values that your institution stood for. We, the 
undersigned, find these reasons completely unacceptable, and would like 
to express our shock and outrage at your action.

Homosexuality in India is a topic that is taboo and is largely left out 
of public discourse. However, as you may be aware, there is a growing 
movement for the rights of sexual minorities in this country, which 
argues that all persons irrespective of their sexual orientation and 
gender identity have the right to live with dignity. In fact, the 
constitutional validity of the law criminalizes homosexuality in India 
is currently under challenge before the Delhi High Court. The acts of 
your institution have effectively censored a film on homosexuality, thus 
repudiating a certain way of life and denying homosexuals and other 
sexual minorities validation of their lifestyles through public 
portrayal and constituting an official condemnation of homosexuality.

Historically, it is the incursions of the State into free speech that 
has been guarded against by academic institutions, film-makers, and 
artists. Instead, your institution by its actions has sought to act as 
the State and arbitrarily impose its own moral values in censoring this 
film.

Merely because your institution is of the opinion that homosexuality is 
immoral it does not entitle your to censor the portrayal of 
homosexuality thus curtailing any debate or discussion around the issue. 
Furthermore, the invocation of the arbitrary standard of 'obscenity' or 
'indecency' cannot be a legitimate reason for such an action, as this 
only becomes another reason to stifle debate and censor expression. It 
is the responsibility of an institution like yours to create a space 
that allows for the articulation of opinions that it may not agree with. 
It is only by pushing the limits of what is sayable and unsayable that 
such a space can be created. We believe that the actions of your 
institution in expelling these students for exercising their freedom of 
expression is completely unjustified and undermines the creation of such 
a space.

As an academic institution, and particularly as a media and 
communications school, we believe that it is essential that your 
institution encourage diverse points of view and modes of expression. 
Academic growth and excellence can only be achieved in a space that is 
open to different ideas, where there is a culture of creativity and 
where people are not afraid to openly express themselves, and it is your 
institution's duty to ensure that such an atmosphere is cultivated. 
However, your institution's acts in expelling these students can only 
destroy the possibility of creating such an atmosphere and harms the 
reputation of your institution as a centre of academic excellence.

As an institution that is training future film makers and media artists, 
your action in expelling these students undermines the role of film 
makers and artists who have always acted as guardians of the limits of 
free speech.

Furthermore, what is extremely shocking is the disproportionate and 
arbitrary punishment given to the students. It is disturbing that your 
institution's response to the portrayal of homosexuality has been so 
vicious and brutal.

We condemn your decision, demand that you reconsider your actions and 
reinstate the expelled students.

** If you do wish to sign on, please send an email, with your name and 
designation, if any, to mayur at altlawforum.org 
<mailto:mayur at altlawforum.org>.*

* *

*Annexure*

* *

http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/apr282007/national222552007427.asp

Deccan Herald, 28 April, 2007

** Students expelled for making film on homosexuality **

>From R Gopakumar DH News Service Thiruvananthapuram:

A Catholic Church-run mass communications college in Kottayam has 
stirred a hornet's nest by expelling five students for making a film on 
homosexuality.

The students are all fourth semester BA (multimedia) students of the St 
Joseph's College of Communications at Changanassery.

The incident brings alive the raging worldwide debate on homosexuality 
to the church circles in Kerala.

Neither the expelled students nor the authorities were readily willing 
to comment. Prathyush, one of the expelled students, told Deccan Herald 
that four of them had acted in the five-minute short film titled Secret 
Minds.

The film depicting homosexuality was directed by an MA (film and TV) 
student Jeo Baby. He claimed that it was mainly intended for an 
inter-collegiate film festival here.

The college management, however, felt that the film had transgressed the 
limits of decency and moral values that the college stood for and would 
have misled youths. The college authorities further said that the 
students misused the campus and college hostel premises for making the 
film and had also acted entirely nude in it. The management made clear 
its stand in the showcause notice issued to the students. The students 
were first served a showcause notice on March 23 and 27 and later 
expelled on April 2 on finding that their replies were unsatisfactory.

However, Prathyush who was the only student willing to speak denied 
these allegations and said that they had exercised only their freedom of 
expression. The film was also well within the confines of the course to 
which they were admitted. Also, they had acted only partially nude as 
required by the script.

"In any case, the film was not for public viewing but for a specific 
festival audience. They are just creating unnecessary fuss," he said.

The students registered a complaint against the college with the Mahatma 
Gandhi University's grievance cell and also forwarded the notice which 
contained the charges against them.

When contacted, college director Fr Sebastian refused to comment saying 
the issue was not over and was "undergoing certain processes".

However, experts see the incident as an offshoot of the lack of 
theological guidance in the Church on the issue of homosexuality.

* *



Anand wrote:
>
> dear all
> it is worth sending a joint letter to the priests who expelled these 
> students. please respond. best, anand
>
> also, for those interested, we have just won a very important victory 
> for freedom of expression in the high court against the maharashtra 
> governments ban on a book on shivaji written by james laine. actual 
> judgment is awaited. the shiv sena and other right wing parties 
> (including the NCP and sections of the congress are pouring out their 
> hate against us and the book in papers like saamna. govt has vowed to 
> challenge us in supreme court. lets see what happens.
>
> best, anand
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: tarunabh
> To: vikalp at yahoogroups.com <mailto:vikalp%40yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Saturday, April 28, 2007 3:50 PM
> Subject: [vikalp] Students expelled for making film on homosexuality
>
> http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/apr282007/national22255200742 
> <http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/apr282007/national22255200742>
> 7.asp
>
> *Deccan Herald <http://www.deccanherald.com/ 
> <http://www.deccanherald.com/>> >
> National<http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/apr282007/national.a 
> <http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/apr282007/national.a>
> sp>>
> Detailed Story
> *
>
> * Students expelled for making film on homosexuality *
> From R Gopakumar DH News Service Thiruvananthapuram:
>
> A Catholic Church-run mass communications college in Kottayam has
> stirred a
> hornet's nest by expelling five students for making a film on
> homosexuality.
>
> The students are all fourth semester BA (multimedia) students of the
> St
> Joseph's College of Communications at Changanassery.
>
> The incident brings alive the raging worldwide debate on
> homosexuality to
> the church circles in Kerala.
> <http://www.online.citibank.co.in/portal/citiinforms.jsp? 
> <http://www.online.citibank.co.in/portal/citiinforms.jsp?>
> form_id=newnriappform&Site=deccanherald&Creative=copybanner&Section=RO
> S&Agency_Code=DBS&Campaign_Code=RCAO&Product_Code=RCA&eOfferCode=DCHCB
> 180>
> Neither the expelled students nor the authorities were readily
> willing to
> comment. Prathyush, one of the expelled students, told Deccan Herald
> that
> four of them had acted in the five-minute short film titled Secret
> Minds.
>
> The film depicting homosexuality was directed by an MA (film and TV)
> student
> Jeo Baby. He claimed that it was mainly intended for an inter-
> collegiate
> film festival here.
>
> The college management, however, felt that the film had transgressed
> the
> limits of decency and moral values that the college stood for and
> would have
> misled youths. The college authorities further said that the students
> misused the campus and college hostel premises for making the film
> and had
> also acted entirely nude in it. The management made clear its stand
> in the
> showcause notice issued to the students. The students were first
> served a
> showcause notice on March 23 and 27 and later expelled on April 2 on
> finding
> that their replies were unsatisfactory.
>
> However, Prathyush who was the only student willing to speak denied
> these
> allegations and said that they had exercised only their freedom of
> expression. The film was also well within the confines of the course
> to
> which they were admitted. Also, they had acted only partially nude as
> required by the script.
>
> "In any case, the film was not for public viewing but for a specific
> festival audience. They are just creating unnecessary fuss," he said.
>
> The students registered a complaint against the college with the
> Mahatma
> Gandhi University's grievance cell and also forwarded the notice which
> contained the charges against them.
>
> When contacted, college director Fr Sebastian refused to comment
> saying the
> issue was not over and was "undergoing certain processes".
>
> However, experts see the incident as an offshoot of the lack of
> theological
> guidance in the Church on the issue of homosexuality.
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>  


 
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