A mother in India has placed newspaper ad looking for a husband for her gay son. “Seeking, 25-40, well-placed, animal-loving, vegetarian groom for my son (36, 5’11), who works with an NGO. Caste no bar (Though Iyer Preferred),” the ad reads. Padma Iyer says she simply wants to see her son happily married, and adds “How are the concerns of a gay child’s parents any different from that of others?” Harish Iyer is proud of his mum Her son is Harish Iyer, a gay rights activist, who says he is proud of his mum. “My mum was like: ‘You don’t have a boyfriend, you’re not so young.’ She was concerned for her ageing son like any Indian mum would be, irrespective of whether he is homosexual or heterosexual,” he’s told the Guardian. The advert appeared in the Mid-Day, a Mumbai tabloid, after other papers turned it down. Mid Day’s editor has told The Telegraph the paper has always supported equal rights for everyone. “Therefore, when the gay matrimony ad came to our office, we did not even think twice about publishing it.” Gay sex is illegal in India. It was decriminalised in 2009, before the law was reinstated in 2013.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 21st May 2015 - 10:13am