Wednesday, May 17, 2017

ilm: Kelly Loves Tony and "From Khush List to Gay Bombay: Virtual Webs of Real People" by Sandip Roy


Nouriyah Saleh
May 17, 2017

Blog Response: Film: Kelly Loves Tony and "From Khush List to Gay Bombay: Virtual Webs of Real People"

The film, Kelly Loves Tony, follows a Mien couple who struggle with raising a baby at a young age while also trying to create a better future. Kelly follows the Mien expectation of getting married and having a child young, but also resists the expectation of being a stay-at-home mom by pursuing a college education. Unfortunately, Tony doesn't understand her desire to go back to school, which I found surprising yet not surprising at the same time. I sympathize with him because it shows that he grew up with gender roles and doesn't know much better about creating a better future for his new son, but I like how he doesn't force Kelly to stay home because it's obvious how much she wants to be successful and achieve her goals.

Sandip Roy discusses how LGBT South Asians use the internet as a safe space, counseling, activism, business, and simply a way for people to connect with one another. I found it interesting how people in India's society found gayness as a Western influence - which implies that gayness can be manufactured and advertised - just because the LGBT community in Western countries are more open and liberal about their sexuality. It implies that people choose to be queer, which I think is wrong. It's great that LGBT Indians can find community through the internet, which is starting to become the norm. I used to play MMORPGs and I made numerous friends from around the world, but I never talked about this to my friends in real life because there seemed to be a large stigma about meeting "strangers" online. As long as people are cautious about the information they give out and question the credibility of a website, there shouldn't be too much harm in finding solidarity through the internet.

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