PANJIM: To weather the storm triggered by his reported remarks on medical treatment to the LGBT community, Sports Minister Ramesh Tawadkar said he was ‘misquoted’, but on Tuesday Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar sought to douse the fire by saying his minister was ‘ignorant’ about the issue.
“When a reporter asked me, I just spoke about the youth going astray in society due to various ills and vices in their lives. I did not say anything about LGBT,” Tawadkar said on Monday evening, even as TV news channels continued to debate his reported views.
As Tawadkar’s reported remarks drew flak from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, Parsekar attempted to calm things down, saying, “He must be ignorant about the issue. They (LGBT) are natural. They don’t need any treatment,” Parsekar said. He said the minister had himself clarified the matter and that “there is no controversy”.
“Youth policy speaks about drug addicted youth and sexually abused youth as a focused group. There are provisions in the Central government sponsored Social Justice Scheme for such youth which can be implemented in Goa,” Tawadkar said.
Though the minister Tuesday refused to acknowledge LGBT as a focused group, the youth policy document, already in the public domain, has mentioned them as one.
“Like in the case of other target groups such as juvenile offenders, drug afflicted youth, marginalised or migrant youth, geographically disadvantaged youth, a detailed survey would be carried out among state LGBT community, so that their problems could be specifically addressed,” he had said Monday.
On a day Tawadkar’s reported comments on sexual preferences generated controversy, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon had opposed criminalising homosexuality. “I staunchly oppose criminalisation of homosexuality. They violate the basic rights to privacy and freedom. These laws breed intolerance,” Ban said.
“We have to fight for the equality of all members of our human family regardless of any differences, including sexual orientation,” Ban said in New Delhi at an event to mark the 70th anniversary of United Nations.
