A group of six anonymous students from Hindu College have started a Straight Pride Collective. The page that has surfaced on instagram, is constantly making use of homophobic and right wing inclined hate speeches which includes false claims and misinformation. Read to find out more about it.
With the changing times, a tone set in to bring about a modification in the place we all call home, more welcoming hands have been stretched to those who have been neglected by the perils of history. The community of LGBTQIA+ has often found itself under the sheets of neglect and unwarranted, unwelcomed chains of threats which has brought a great deal of distress to this part of our society. The growing concerns, the space to feel lost and aloof, and the lack of recognition and acknowledgement had made it quintessential to start a “collective”.
In educational spaces, the unavailability of safe and secure environments for students resonating with this community harnessed the notion to start a collective, a place where they can feel safe to be themselves. While, a notion of change and progress has been set in by them in mainstream society, there is a group of people who are creating “hindrance” to this growth.
Not long ago, a social media page was created by the name of “hcstraightpride”, which stands for Hindu College Straight Pride, on instagram. Since its inception, the account has been heavily indulged in homophophic, right wing oriented hate speech. One of the captions of their posts read “when the society loses its way, men like us have to stand up and fix it. We are men of violence, men of honour, and that of respect. We won’t stop until we take back what was snatched from us.” The noticeable thing about this is that the entire account talks about a perspective which believes in the “sin of homosexuality” and how are straight men oppressed of their freedom of speech. Additionally, it is embracing the ideologies aligned with the right wing and scrutinising what is believed to be a part of “radical left” according to this page.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CdBbJk0KXOW/
In conversation with a student of Hindu College, Lovansh told DU Beat about the need to create a safe space for the community. He stated that the Hindu College Queer Collective aims at creating such a safe space and asserted that the existence of the same is a protest against the status quo. He claims that what makes the college susceptible to such attacks is the fact that queer culture in specific and student culture is general at Hindu attempts of speaking to power and therefore such an attack is an attack to the culture of Hindu College itself.
This then should concern not just the queers and allies but the entirety of Hindu College and people who wish to preserve this culture. I hope people come ahead in solidarity for this long standing protest of creating a safe space which we rightfully deserve and shall fight for.
-Lovansh Katiyar, student, Hindu College
Furthermore, a stunt was pulled off by the page to gain attention. The page made claims to have been invited by TedxHindu College to deliver a speech. To add on to these false claims, they posted a statement of solidarity from the department of Sociology of Hindu College. However, both the platform and the department took to their instagram to issue a statement in regards to the rejection of claims made by the page in question.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CdDB8aEB0eW/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CdDmenLjJBe/
Within the last 24 hours, the page posted what they termed as a “big reveal”. They asserted to have made false claims in order to gain attention which according to them worked. They set a trap for these platforms and they walked straight into it, as the page claims.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CdDuSF4JmgE/
Besides this, the page in question posted an article on homosexuality and autism. They affirmed that homosexuality and autism are correlated as, according to them, the IQ levels of both autistic people and homosexuals lie in the same range. As the page believes, autism is an inability to perform basic tasks, communicate properly, and make use of logical reasoning which is further supported by low IQ, they have tuned in homosexuals along with the subject by stating their attraction to gliterry objects and low IQ. In the comments section, people are calling out the actions of the page by disagreeing to such accusations and calling them “ableist” and “homophobic”.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CdEKBGzvrdg/
Meanwhile, as we celebrate the spirit of Eid al-Fitr which marks the end of the month of Ramadan, the page decided to change its username into “international_straight pride”. They took the step to go international in light of the support and reach they garnered from the page. To add onto the day of festivities, or rather suppressing the spirit by believing that homosexuality is a sin. According to them, one would be invalidating their duas made during ramadan if they continue to support “people of lut” or homosexuals.
Additionally, it made claims that the religious text- Manusmriti does not sustain the notions of misogyny and has been misinterpreted by ‘Tankies’, ‘socialists’, and ‘liberals’.
In conversation with the president of Students’ Federation of India Hindu College, Aditi, told DU Beat about their stand on this subject. According to her, SFI condones any sort of queerphobic tendencies in or out of the College campus. In her words, she reflected their unconditional support to the Hindu College Queer Collective.
It is imperative we note that the views shared by this dreadful page are the views of Right Wing’s regressive and reactionary ideology which has always raked up such issues to set their agenda of disturbing the atmosphere in academic institutions.
SFI shares deep rage and contempt towards those involved in these anti-student and anti-social activities.
-Aditi, President, SFI Hindu
With various students pouring in their disbelief and astonishment at the collective’s posts in their comments sections, students continue to condemn the actions of the collective in actions.
Read Also: Queerphobic “Straight Pride” Collective Emerges in Hindu College
Featured Image Credits: DU Beat
Ankita Baidya
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