Indian advert showing lesbian couple goes viral
By Will Stroude
An Indian advert depicting two lesbian women who decide to go public with their relationship has gone viral.
Despite homosexuality being punishable with up to 10 years in prison in India, the advert shows a lesbian couple kissing and discussing how to come out to one of the women’s parents.
The ad, called ‘The Visit’, was created by clothing brand Anouk Ethnic, who said that its goal was to challenge stereotypes and discrimination in the country.
“We tried to avoid the stereotypes associated with gay people,” one of the clip’s producers, Vishek Ghosh, told the Times of India.
“There was no one woman looking more masculine or feminine in the film. We tried to give it a candid feel like it is any other couple being apprehensive about meeting the parents.”
In 2013, India’s Supreme Court struck down a 2009 Delhi High Court order which had legalised homosexuality. Since going viral, the advert has sparked the hashtag #BoldIsBeautiful on social media, as users show solidarity with the country’s LGBT community.
While it might not have made quite the same social impact, men’s grooming brand Lynx hit the headlines earlier this year after featuring a gay kiss in an advert for the first time – click here to take a look.
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