Disney+ Hotstar, an Indian subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, will be hosting a Hindi-language movie called Laxmii from November 9th, 2020 onwards on its online platform.
Laxmii is a remake of a Tamil-language film named Kanchana and is extremely transphobic. After the release of Kanchana in 2011, many transgender persons in Tamil Nadu faced bullying and harassment. The same is bound to happen after the release of Laxmii.
The trailer of Laxmii reinforces negative and false stereotypes about the Transgender community, such as:
- Transgender persons are men who are possessed by ghosts
- Transgender persons must be cured using tantra-mantra
- Transgender persons are dangerous, inherently violent, scary, abnormal, tacky and immoral
- Transgender persons deserve to be mocked and frowned upon
Movies like Laxmii, reverse the sensitisation work carried out by various organisations, individuals and the government, over many years, to change the attitude of the society towards the LGBTQIA+ community.
Trans-negativity directly results in violence against transgender persons. It severely impacts the mental health of LGBTQIA+ individuals and gives rise to discrimination and other forms of abuse that stem from transphobia.
Yes, We Exist is running a digital campaign to prevent the release of this highly problematic film. Here’s how you can participate in the campaign and help to protect the LGBTQIA+ community from potential harm if the movie releases.
- Tweet to @waltdisneyco and @DisneyPlusHS
- Use the Hashtag #DisneyStopTransphobia
- Tag @tonton1968 (Chief Diversity Officer, The Walt Disney Company) and @AshleyAtTWDC (Diversity Lead, The Walt Disney Company) and @rayantec (Head Disney+ Hotstar)
You can also send an email to The Walt Disney Company (TWDC.pressinquiries@Disney.com) and the Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India (officeofmin-msje@gov.in). You can copy, edit and send this email draft.