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The Print
10 hours ago
- Politics
- The Print
India's queer politics isn't about Right vs Left. It's a matter of privilege
For queers on the Left, the very idea defies imagination. We love a good Caitlyn Jenner roast and know that Black Republicans exist because we've attempted to enjoy SNL once or twice, but we draw the line at gay Manuvadis. To be fair, the question holds: The white-picket ideals of conservatism don't really align with technicolour queerness. So, why are some queers Right-wing? In a university hostel room somewhere, a newly minted Left-liberal gay kid has just come across the question and can't quite wrap his head around it. How can you be queer and Right-wing? That's the hottest political question among the Indian queer community. It isn't whether you will vote for Narendra Modi or Rahul Gandhi. It is: How can you be queer and vote for the BJP? The answer is arrived at rather quickly: the Left is nothing if not efficient, at least when it comes to wokeness. As with everything else riddled with problems, the p-word is guilty here, too. When you have caste and class privilege, there are few things to strive for than the right to marry. (Clearly, the feminist movement hasn't managed to truly touch the gays.) But the vast majority of India's urban, upper caste queers—those who deign to leave the closet, at least—straddle a happy middle. My ex-best friend, for example, doesn't know his Right from his Left anymore. He grew up loving religion, reading Amish Tripathi books, and placing his hopes for a squeaky-clean India on the BJP. Now, he knows capitalism sucks and industries are killing the earth, but doesn't quite see himself as a Leftist: He's not nearly fond enough of tote bags. A few months ago, a bike-loving lesbian said she'd vote for the BJP because it might just fix the Delhi roads. But when asked about the larger politics behind that vote, she offered a humble 'I guess I stopped caring about what was happening out there.' To her, all parties are equally bad, but at least the BJP seems to be doing something. This batch of gays and lesbians has it all. They're politically promiscuous, religiously vague, and free to boo either side as and when required. Also read: Is there an Indian way to be gay? Most of us learn about queerness from American TV Being queer in a Trump world If Right-wing gays and transpersons are a walking contradiction for those on the Left, the latter are far too militant for those on the Right. They're disillusioned with the Left's infighting, its insistence on making labels and language the battleground, and how it has strict rules for how to be queer. 'I am conservative because I think the Left often goes too far with polarising gender issues. India's conservatism is more realistic than the Left,' said a 22-year-old social media executive who identifies as gay. A Delhi-based gay man who works in his family business thinks that the queer narrative in Indian Left is based on Western ideas. 'The whole pronouns game, where you can identify as anything… There are a lot of other ways we can handle these situations, but we cannot let the Western narrative control the conversation. These things are highly influenced by geopolitics—they've created a business out of it. They don't want to actually do anything,' he said. They're not entirely wrong about the self-righteousness and militancy of the Left. Even I've been known to run for the hills at the first sight of a janeu. But is queerness inherently Left? 'If you treat queerness as not just about who you love or sleep with, but rather as a political project, then obviously queerness leans more Left. And I don't think that queerness can ever align right, given its fundamental belief in equal rights,' said Anish Gawande, a national spokesperson for the NCP. 'Again, Right and Left are such vague terminologies in a Trump world,' he added. Gawande also reminded me that queerness in India is not necessarily a Right/Left issue as it is in the West. Mohan Bhagwat, for instance, has said that queer individuals are human beings. At the Hiroshima G7 summit in 2020, PM Modi talked about having made a new law to secure trans rights. One can see how some queer people might find space for themselves in the Indian Right wing. It remains a single-plank bridge, though. While the Left seeks to connect the queer struggle with that of caste and religious minorities, the Right sees it as a futile effort. 'If your goal is to cross a river and you stand on two boats instead of staying in one boat, do you think you can cross this river? You'll just fall in the middle,' said the Delhi-based businessman. India's queer politics isn't about a red pill vs blue pill divide. It plays out in vastly different ways across regions and for communities within the community. Perhaps the question we should be asking isn't 'How can someone be queer and Right-wing', but 'How can a queer political identity emerge in India?' Or better yet, does it need to? Views are personal. (Edited by Theres Sudeep)
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rep. Byron Donalds' town hall turns contentious over questions about DEI and Gaza
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., defended tech billionaire Elon Musk at a town hall Monday night at which he was grilled about the Department of Government Efficiency's cost-cutting measures and the Trump administration's efforts to eliminate diversity initiatives and its approach to the Israel-Hamas war. Donalds, a member of the House Oversight Committee, was pressed at one point about what the Republican-led panel was doing to ensure oversight of Musk and DOGE as the administration moves to dramatically reshape the federal government and slash spending. 'If you're going to talk about what Oversight is doing, we actually have to let the DOGE committee, the DOGE department, actually finish its work,' Donalds said at the event in Estero, Florida. He also defended the Trump administration's efforts to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs, arguing it was a "false premise" that the absence of such initiatives in boardrooms and classrooms meant that "somehow minority kids cannot get ahead. It is a lie." "There's no level playing field in life; it doesn't exist," said Donalds, one of the few Black Republicans in Congress. After a man in the audience shouted that Donalds ought to read a particular book, Donalds fired back, telling the man not to "educate me about my life, sir." "I love how everybody is shouting at me, the Black guy with the microphone in his hand onstage," Donalds said. "Don't marginalize my life and what I've done. Don't do that." Throughout the town hall, dozens of people left, many voicing frustration with answers from Donalds, who is running for governor of Florida in next year's election. Toward the end of the event, Donalds clashed with an audience member over his response to a question about the Israel-Hamas war. 'We should stand behind Israel 100%,' Donalds said. 'I stand by our ally, which is Israel.' When the audience member stood and loudly protested his pro-Israel stance, Donalds said she was disrespecting 'everybody in this room" with her conduct. 'You think you're being heard, and let's be clear, you're not,' Donalds said. 'We laid the rules out. You are being rude and disrespectful. You are not the only person who has a point of view in this room.' Shouts of 'Free Palestine!' from a small number of audience members could be heard as the woman left the venue, followed by police. There were no arrests. Donalds is one of a handful of Republicans who have held town halls after Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee, advised GOP lawmakers in a closed-door meeting last month against holding the events amid harsh criticism from angry attendees at town halls earlier this year. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., held a town hall last week at which some audience members were arrested and stunned by police, while others were removed from the event. This article was originally published on
NBC News
22-04-2025
- Business
- NBC News
Rep. Byron Donalds' town hall turns contentious over questions about DEI and Gaza
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., defended tech billionaire Elon Musk at a town hall Monday night where he was grilled about the Department of Government Efficiency 's cost-cutting measures, efforts to eliminate diversity initiatives and the Trump administration's approach to the Israel-Hamas war. Donalds, a member of the House Oversight Committee, was pressed at one point on what the Republican-led panel was doing to ensure oversight of Musk and DOGE as the administration moves to dramatically reshape the federal government and slash spending. 'If you're going to talk about what Oversight is doing, we actually have to let the DOGE committee, the DOGE department, actually finish its work,' Donalds said at the event in Estero, Florida. He also defended the Trump administration's efforts to end DEI programs, arguing it was a "false premise" that the absence of such initiatives in boardrooms and classrooms meant that "somehow minority kids cannot get ahead. It is a lie." "There's no level playing field in life, it doesn't exist," said Donalds, one of the few Black Republicans in Congress. After a man in the audience shouted that the congressman ought to read a particular book, Donalds fired back saying not to "educate me, about my life, sir." "I love how everybody is shouting at me, the Black guy with the microphone in his hand on stage," Donalds said. "Don't marginalize my life and what I've done. Don't do that." Throughout the town hall, dozens of people left, with many voicing frustration with answers from Donalds, who is also running for governor of Florida in next year's election. Toward the end of the event, Donalds clashed with an audience member over his response to a question about the Israel-Hamas war. 'We should stand behind Israel 100%,' Donalds said. 'I stand by our ally, which is Israel.' When the audience member stood and loudly protested his pro-Israel stance, Donalds said she was disrespecting 'everybody in this room" with her conduct. 'You think you're being heard, and let's be clear, you're not,' Donalds said. 'We laid the rules out. You are being rude and disrespectful. You are not the only person who has a point of view in this room.' Shouts of 'Free Palestine!' from a small number of audience members could be heard as the woman left the venue followed by police. There were no arrests. Donalds' is one of a handful of Republicans who have held town halls after Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee, advised GOP lawmakers in a closed-door meeting last month against holding the events amid harsh criticism from angry attendees at town halls earlier this year. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., held a town hall last week where some audience members were arrested and stunned by police, while others were removed from the event.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Don Lemon Questions Sincerity Of Black MAGA Supporters
Don Lemon appeared on Bill Maher's Club Random podcast and now has MAGA supporters in a frenzy over a comment about a part of their constituency. The former CNN correspondent expressed his thoughts on Black Republicans versus those who simply follow Donald Trump's 'Make America Great Again' rhetoric. 'I see a Black MAGA person carrying Donald Trump's water and they know that he's lying — it is the shortest line to the front,' Lemon shared. 'If you're Black and you're just in line with a bunch of other Democrats that are doing the same thing you're doing, [then it's fine]. But if you're a Black MAGA person, it's like 'Whoa, let's book this person. Let's put them on television.'' Maher then asked if Lemon believes 'sincere' Black MAGA followers are possible. 'No. I think there can be sincere Republicans, but I don't think that you can be Black and be a rational MAGA person. I think you can be Black and be a Republican,' said the 59-year-old. Maher replied, 'I think they would find that very insulting.' To which Lemon quipped, 'Well I mean, the truth is often insulting.' His stance did rile up some backlash among MAGA defenders, but Lemon remained firm in his belief and replied to Newsweek, 'I'm entitled to my point of view just as much as MAGA, Fox News, right wing media and internet trolls are entitled to theirs' before responding to the 'same right wing extremists, internet trolls and media organizations who endlessly attack me, call me racist and/or homophobic slurs, purposely paint me in a negative light, fein outrage and then gin up fake controversy when someone who looks like me dares to hold up a mirror to them.' Lemon has been routinely vocal about his disdain for Trump supporters, labeling them as 'f**king idiots' on his own podcast. Back in December, he mocked the 'stupid MAGA brain.' He added, 'You're so f**king stupid and you deserve it. You f**king deserve it because you're so dumb. Yes, I am gloating over your stupidity.' His full sit-down with Maher can be seen above. At the time of publication, Lemon was live on YouTube addressing the controversy already. More from Don Lemon Slams Megyn Kelly For Unhinged Joy Reid Remarks Don Lemon Responds To Ye Accusing Him Of Igniting "Kicked Out" Of Grammys Rumor Cardi B Harassed By MAGA Supporters Online After VP Kamala Harris Loses To Trump
Associated Press
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Rep. Byron Donalds, backed by Trump, says he's running for Florida governor
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds announced Tuesday that he's entering the 2026 race to succeed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is ineligible to seek another term after eight years in office. Donalds enters the race with President Donald Trump's endorsement. Donalds has been a frequent Trump surrogate and was on the short list to be his vice presidential running mate last year. DeSantis, who cannot run again due to term limits and unsuccessfully tried a presidential bid against Trump last year, has not yet made any official endorsement for his successor. Just before Donalds' announcement, DeSantis suggested that his wife, Casey DeSantis, would be a worthy governor and said Donalds was not a part of his victories on conservative priorities. The 46-year-old Donalds, who lives in Naples in southwest Florida, was born and raised in Brooklyn. He graduated from Florida State University. He was working as a financial adviser when then-Gov. Rick Scott appointed him to the board of trustees at a state college, cementing his rise in the state GOP. He entered the Florida House in 2016, won a seat in the U.S. House in 2020 and has been on the short list for multiple opportunities ever since, including being nominated in January 2023 by the far-right wing of as a candidate for House speaker. After Trump's endorsement, Donalds indicated that he would make an announcement soon and said he was 'committed to working with him to Keep Florida Great.' In a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Feb. 21, Donalds said Trump has called him to talk to him about running. 'Florida is not going to stop leading,' Donalds said. 'We're going to build off of what we've done, and we are going to continue to lead bigger, better, faster, greater, safer, freer, because the American dream is for everybody, and we're going to show the other 49 states how to get it done.' In addition to Casey DeSantis, other potential GOP candidates include former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, who said in January that he was considering a run, and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, though he recently fought with DeSantis over immigration policies. But Trump's endorsement may clear the way for Donalds given his dominance in Republican politics, particularly in his adopted home state. Trump established residency in Palm Beach during his first term. 'Byron Donalds would be a truly Great and Powerful Governor for Florida and, should he decide to run, will have my Complete and Total Endorsement,' the president posted Thursday on his social media site. 'RUN, BYRON, RUN!' One of the state's most high-profile Black Republicans, Donalds would become the first African American to serve as governor if he wins. Donalds and his wife, Erika Donalds, built a reputation for working to transform public education and direct more taxpayer dollars into private and charter schools. A former county school board member, she runs a company that oversees charter schools and a virtual academy.
