Indian mum places advert for a husband for her son

An Indian mother placed a newspaper advert for marriage for her son who is a gay activist which could be considered as noble, the problem with the advert is that gay marriage is illegal in India

India's Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that "carnal intercourse" interpreted as gay sex, is punishable with anything up to a life sentence.

The advert reads: "Seeking 25-40, well-placed, animal-loving, vegetarian, for my son (36, 5'11") who works with an NGO. Caste no bar." (Though IYER preferred).

Harish Iyer, the groom in question, is a prominent gay rights activist based in Mumbai. He was also the only Indian mentioned in Guardian's list of 100 most influential LGBT people in 2013.

"My mother is like any other mother," he says. "She wanted to find me a partner and help me settle down. It became news only because I was looking for a man instead of a woman."

While the Indian newspaper Mid-Day published the advert, 3 other leading national dailies refused to run it. According to Iyer, The Times of India and Daily News and Analysis rejected the advertisement because of "legal reasons."

Hindustan Times gave Iyer a message in writing, which read: "Dear Mr. Harish, Sorry to say but we can't carry this advertisement in HT Matrimonial Section." No further explanation was given.

However, Mid Day's executive editor Sachin Kalbag which posted the advert said his organization did not see the LGBT community as any different.

"A lot of credit goes to the advertising department because they treated this as any other ad." Kalbag said and he hopes other papers will follow suit.

It's being called India's first advertisement for a partner for a same-sex marriage.

Hindustan Times