LGBTQIA+ RIGHTS AND SEXUAL DIVERSITY IN MADE IN HEAVEN

LGBTQIA is an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (ones sexual or gender identity), intersex, and asexual/aromantic/agender. These terms are used to describe a persons sexual orientation or gender identity. The term LGBT is in use since the 1990s, the term is an adaptation of the term LGB, which replaced the term gay in reference to the LGBT community beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s. Many activists believed that the term gay community did not accurately represent all those to whom it referred. Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code is a section of the Indian Penal Code introduced in 1861 during the British rule of India. Modelled on the Buggery Act of 1533, it makes sexual activities against the order of nature illegal. On 6 September 2018, the Supreme Court of India ruled the decriminalisation of Section 377 which has led to the publics acknowledgement of the third gender in India. Time and again media have played role in creating awareness about the concerns related to the community. Many films, television shows, and OTT platforms have also shown content related to the LGBTQIA+. In recent times, majority of viewers have shifted to OTT platforms and one can witness that with benefits of OTT, it has become easy for content producers to highlight any topic of interest and relevance. Many series on famous OTT platforms are presenting LGBTQIA+ relations in an undisguised manner so that the society also recognises LGBTQIA+ communitiesall across the world, their rights, and their culture and that this be marked by a spirit of resistance and acceptance as opposed to an attitude of shameby creating an awareness in the mind of the viewers. The study aims to find out the representation of LGBTQIA+ on Amazon Prime Video and their influence on society. This is exploratory research. The content analysis of web series on Amazon Prime Video has been done to understand the type of content shown in web series and in-depth interviews have been conducted to understand the influence of such content on the LGBTQIA+ community members.