PANJIM: In one stroke, and without perhaps even realizing the ramifications, Goa’s Youth Affairs Minister, Ramesh Tawadkar catapulted himself into a lifelong hall of shame among the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community as his reported remarks about giving them medicines and training in special centre’s to make them “normal” went absolutely viral on social media and news websites.
While these remarks were apparently made to a group of five or six reporters, in the flow of a conversation where he was asked about the stigmatized LGBT community, Tawadkar denied having made these comments referring to LGBT’s, to Herald, when he was contacted late Monday night.
Flatly denying that he had ever uttered anything about establishing centres to treat LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender) youth, Sports & Youth Affairs Minister Ramesh Tawadkar insisted that he had only spoken about establishing “treatment centres” to help youth addicted to drugs, the sexually abused and socially deprived.
“When a reporter questioned me soon after unveiling the Youth Policy, what I had stated is that Goa Government in association with Social Justice Ministry (Central government) would jointly carry out a survey of youth who are addicted to vices such as drugs, sexually abused and socially deprived. Treatment centres would be established to help these youth to live a decent and contented life,” said Tawadkar.
When informed that his reported statement of opening “centres” to treat LGBT had already created a massive furore across the nation, Tawadkar retorted: “Where is the question of raking up a national controversy? 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.”
His categorical denial, should quell rising anger and outrage, but the damage not just to him but the reputation of the Goa government done by his reported remarks, which reporters maintained were indeed said, were reported and disseminated on news websites which picked up agency copies and other media websites. (see our package of tweets on the issue)
What was reported across agencies was that the minister said that the government set up a centre like Alcohol Anonymous to make LGBT youth normal. “We will impart them training and administer medicines,” he said after the launch of the youth policy. The policy document explicitly categorized LGBT’s as “stigmatized” .The minister’s explicit clarification to Herald, settles his issue.
The Herald has also learnt that at an official level, none of what the minister was reported to have said in the morning (which he denied to Herald) is a part of any policy and nor was it ever discussed at any forum. The Sports and Youth Affairs Secretary Mathew Samuels, who was not present with the minister when he spoke to the press said “There is nothing beyond the policy which has been given proper shape and structure. Attention will be paid to stigmatized youth and different categories come under that. That’s all”
In the 20-page booklet, the policy lists LGBT, SC/ST/OBC, drop outs, rural youth, juvenile offenders, youth in coastal belt and mining belt among 16 others under the Target Groups category. It also mentions that each of these groups require focused attention.
As the news went viral on social media, there was palpable outrage with twitterati as those in Goa and elsewhere lambasted the minister. Some of the tweets went as follows “Goa to “normalize” LGBT Youth by administering medicines!. Either we have made serious progress in medicines or attained great depravity”. Others said that they would never come to Goa if this is the way LGBT people are treated and one exasperated lady quipped “ Oh God, not again, why are people we elect so stupid”
Clearly, this minister from Canacona hadn’t quite bargained for national infamy when he released the state youth policy. The saving grace could well be his outright denial and detailed clarification and the hope that a Goa minister, in his right senses, would not actually say what he was reported to have said in exactly those words.
