Gay Men Outed in Indian TV Report

An Indian TV news report broadcast in Hyderabad outed several gay men with a sting operation through an online dating site. At least one young man attempted suicide because his parents saw him on the program.

Pink News reports on the broadcast, called "Gay Culture Rampant in Hyderabad," by Channel TV9 Telugu, which showed a reporter logging on to the gay website PlanetRomeo.com. The reporter telephoned two men and asked intimate questions about their sex lives and where they lived and worked.

"Extremely personal information about one man -- including his penis size and preferred sexual position -- was revealed by the programme," reports Pink News.

NDTV reported that one young man attempted suicide after his parents saw him on the program that claimed students and white-collar professionals were becoming "slaves" to an "unnatural lifestyle." The report showed victims' profile photos and names and called them "deviants."

Gay rights advocates denounced the report and called on the TV channel to apologize. They also have threatened legal action.

Although homosexuality is not widely accepted in Indian society, gay sex is no longer illegal following a ruling of the Delhi High Court in 2009 that struck down section 377 of the British colonial-era penal code. The Indian Supreme Court is scheduled to hear an appeal of the ruling this April.