Guest Speaker’s Homophobic Remarks Spark Protests at UoH

Hyderabad: Allegations of homophobic and queerphobic remarks made by a guest speaker during a seminar at the University of Hyderabad sparked student protests, prompting the Department of Hindi to issue an apology and a formal clarification.

The incident occurred during a session of a national seminar, ‘Hindi Literature: Diverse Discourses’, organised by the Department of Hindi, where author Neerja Madhav was invited as a speaker. Students who attended the session alleged that the speaker described homosexuality as unnatural, linked queer individuals to the spread of diseases, including AIDS, and singled out a queer student during the discussion.

The remarks triggered a protest on campus, with students alleging the comments created an unsafe and hostile environment for queer students. The Sexual and Gender Alliance gave a protest call, which was joined by members of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) and other student groups.

Following discussions with protesting students, the head of the Hindi department apologised for inviting the speaker and assured students that such speakers would not be invited again for departmental programmes.

The department also agreed to conduct a compulsory gender sensitisation class, earlier mandated by the Dean of the School of Humanities after similar complaints last semester, with the involvement of student representatives from the Humanities council and board.

In a written clarification issued on January 20, the department stated that it did not agree with all the views expressed by the speaker during the seminar. “The department does not agree with all aspects of the statements made by the speaker from the stage,” the clarification said.

It further added that remarks allegedly made by the speaker outside the seminar hall were her personal responsibility and had no connection with the department. “The department will ensure that such situations do not arise in seminars organised in the future,” the statement said.

The students involved in the protest said the apology and assurance were important steps, but stressed the need for consistent safeguards. “This is about accountability and making sure academic spaces are respectful and safe for all students,” a student protester said.