LGBT community holds protest against Telugu channel

Hyderabad, Feb 26 (PTI) A group of LGBT (lesbian, gay,bisexual, and transgender) community today held peacefuldemonstration in front of a local Telugu TV channel officehere seeking its apology over telecasting a ''sting operation''on the gay community which it said contained defamatorycomments.

Taking a leaf out of ''Gandhigiri'' mode of protest in themovie Lage Raho Munnabhai, NGOs like ''Surakasha'' and''Expressions'' placed some letters and flowers outside the TVchannel office at Banajara Hills here, a participant said.

"Over 60 members of LGBT and other people assembledbefore the TV office this evening and held a peaceful protestseeking the TV channel''s apology over broadcast of theprogramme," the participant said adding "We also handed over arepresentation to the staff of the channel against thereportage."

According to the representation, the programme (a stingoperation by the TV channel) contained several defamatorycomments targeting the gay community and hunted down profilesof gay individuals from the internet.

"You aired not only their names and their photos, butalso called them up in a clear attempt at entrapment andprodded them with leading questions about their private sexuallives," the letter said. .