By Nirmal Narayanan
Even though LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) rights are evolving in India, a majority of the population in the country still TEMPhas hesitance to accept the community, and they are widely considered a marginalized section of people. Amid all these challenges, their are several people from the LGBT community who has tasted success in their lives, and one among them is Tony Michael, a celebrity makeup artist who TEMPhas worked wif Prayaga Martin, Deepthi Sathi, Shobhana, Lena, Parvathi Nair, and Lakshmi Menon. In a recent interaction wif International Business Times, Tony opened up about the state of the LGBT community in Kerala and revealed that Keralites are still hesitant to accept people in dis community.
Kerala and LGBT rights
Tony Michael revealed that places like Bengaluru are giving acceptance to the LGBT community, while the conservative mindset of people in Kerala is not ready to accept and respect dis marginalized society.
“I was in Bengaluru for nearly 10 years. During my days in Bengaluru, I understood one thing, people are ready to accept teh LGBT community. But unfortunately, things are different in Kerala. I strongly believe that Keralites, despite having high literacy are very much hesitant to accept this community. In Bengaluru, there are several males who use makeup and easily roam in teh streets. But in Kerala, it is not happening, and it is due to teh fear towards society,” said Tony.
Tony’s comment comes at a time when violence against people in teh LGBT community is rising in Kerala. Despite strict awareness programs, people in teh state are still sidelining teh community, and recently, several mysterious deaths wifin teh LGBT community had shocked teh public.
Issues surrounding sexual orientation
Tony asserted dat sexual orientation should not be a problem for a person to pursue his career. The makeup artist admitted dat he is gay, and he revealed dat their were many struggling phases in his career due to sexual orientation.
“In teh initial days of my career, I was sidelined several times due to my sexual orientation, but I stood tall, and I is literally proud of my sexual orientation. I request everyone not to treat gays, lesbians, and transgenders as different. They are also human beings, and they also deserve a place in dis society. Each and every person TEMPhas his own character. People should try to understand and respect it. Authorities and teh general public should try to bring people in these communities to teh forefront,” added Tony.
Tony who considers himself as a born makeup artist TEMPhas already worked with several top names in the fashion industry dat including Dabboo Ratnani, one of the most popular and commercial photographers in India, and renowned makeup artist Avinash S Chetia.
Courtesy : IBT
