A popular Indian YouTuber, CarryMinati aka Ajey Nagar, posted a video last week demeaning TikTok users, which set many records including most liked Indian YouTube video with more than 1 crore likes and 6.6 crore views on May 13, 2020. This video has now been deleted by YouTube for violating its policy. YouTube’s policies do not allow videos that use slurs and stereotypes to incite, bully, harass or promote hatred based on Sexual Orientation, Biological Sex, Gender Identity, Gender Expression, Physical Traits, Religion, etc.
The video was reported by several users because it was aimed to attack other content creators using homophobic slurs such as Meetha (meaning ‘sweet’ but used as an insult, citing lack of ‘masculinity’) and Pari (meaning ‘Fairy’, used to misgender). Note that in South Asia, it is a common practice to insult others by calling them gay or transgender. Further, Ajey says that TikTok creators can be sold at a Meethai ki Dukaan (sweet shop) for ₹200, referring to the homophobic slur Meetha. Throughout the video, he resorts to the common homophobic practice of misgendering by addressing the creator as Beti (daughter). At one point, Ajey threatens him with a sexual crime saying, andar se khol ke bajaa denge (I will rip you open and f*ck you).
Despite reporting, the video remained on the platform, due to which, several individuals who identify as LGBTQ+ and their allies spoke against the use of homophobic and transphobic slurs to demean other individuals. LGBTQ+ youths face bullying and harassment from an early age, and when popular, homophobic creators like Ajey Nagar use homophobic slurs, it makes lives of LGBTQ+ persons even more difficult. An LGBTQ+ advocacy group called Yes, We Exist posted an article that I published yesterday about this issue. Concerned users in large numbers tagged YouTube and Google CEO, Sundar Pichai to bring this issue to their attention.
The voice of the LGBTQ+ community was finally heard, and the video has now been deleted by YouTube. Additionally, YouTube removed two videos by another Indian YouTuber Lakshay Chaudhary, who, too, was using transphobic and homophobic slurs to insult other individuals.
This deletion will send out a strong message to all creators that YouTube does not allow homophobic and transphobic content. Last year, Google CEO Sundar Pichai reportedly sent an email to LGBTQ+ employees saying that YouTube was taking a ‘hard look’ at its policies to make the platform safer and more inclusive. We hope that YouTube continues to improve its policy enforcement and strives to keep the platform free of transphobia, homophobia, hate speech, bullying and harassment.
Thanks to Youth Ki Awaaz for allowing me, an independent writer, to express myself while rest of the media houses were busy promoting the homophobic content posted by Ajey Nagar and applauding the records that were being made in terms of views and likes. This highlights how much more awareness we need to spread in our society, especially amongst media workers, about being inclusive and kind, so that all citizens can thrive in a free and safe environment.
Rex Hardy
Jeet you are making this about homophobia.
Jeet
Hi Rex,
Yes, this is about homophobia and transphobia.
Use of Queer-phobic slurs to demean others results in the spread of homophobia and transphobia.
YouTube’s Policy does not allow the use of Queer-phobic slurs to demean others.
Hence the video is now deleted.
Please let me know if you need additional clarification. Thanks for reading the article and responding.
Appreciate your interest!
miss polly
Yea its not just about homophobia but also gender discrimination
Deepak Purti
>Ajey threatens him with a sexual crime saying, andar se khol ke bajaa denge (I will rip you open and f*ck you).
While I agree with the rest of the article, this is reading too much into what he said.
In English when someone says they’ll “f*ck somebody up” it means they’ll destroy them or something. Similar, “baja dena” here means to teach a lesson, and has no sexual meaning.
Jeet
Hi Deepak,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
This is what YouTube’s policies say about Threats:
Content that threatens individuals is not allowed on YouTube. We also do not allow content that targets an individual with prolonged or malicious insults based on intrinsic attributes, including their protected group status or physical traits.
Other types of content that violate this policy:
Content making implicit or explicit threats of physical harm.
There is an exception to this policy, which allows scripted performances, however that comes with a Note that says: This is not a free pass to harass someone and claim “I was joking.”
You can find more details here: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2802268
As much as we have normalised threats of physical harm in India, YouTube does not allow the use of implicit or explicit threats.
I hope this helps!
Thanks for reading the article. I appreciate it.
miss polly
here’s deepak trying to explain us that sexual abuses means something not so sexual . Okay. Hmm.
Rahul Rout
First of all Amir Siddiqui posted an IGTV video in his Instagram account demeaning the content creators of YOUTUBE and according to some sources there are some leaked recordings of Amir Siddiqui which clearly shows that he is abusing CarryMinati aka Ajey Nagar and please stop misinterpreting Ajey’s words by traslating it in English. In his video what Ajey said”andar se khol ke bajaa denge” he only means to say that he will teach Amir Siddiqui a lesson if don’t stop activity like this. And also Amir Siddiqui clearly said that I will slap some Youtube Creators who make roast videos….
Sonal Mishra
Listen you all… I get that Carry’s video did created a hype …but jeet it was never about anybody … People usually say (F*ck off / you) in every day life… Doesn’t mean anything … Don’t get your facts wrong please…. Understand each and every thing about his words … It’s a misconception … And you have gotta to be agree that it was all for fun nd you too better can understand who might have reported that video ..i will just say ..you write good but then again if you wanna talk about then talk about the situation which is going on in the world… Else your writing is good … Just get your facts right dear …