India’s 1st Openly Gay Actor Goes From Receiving Insults To Winning A National Award

Journeys of people from the LGBTQ+ community are ten times harder than the rest. Daily, they fight a battle for basic decency, equal opportunity, and an agency for their voices to be heard. In the past, stories of people like Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju rising from insults to working towards a better life for themselves and their community inspired us.

And now, the story of another such person needs to be heard. Meet Benjamin Daimary, India’s first openly gay actor who recently won the jury’s Special Mention at the 67th National Awards for acting in the Assamese film ‘Jonaki Porua’ (Fireflies).

Earlier, Benjamin worked as a makeup artist and a costume designer. But the makers of ‘Jonaki Porua’ saw a spark in him and his “subdued expressions”, reports TOI.

“It helped dispel my belief that you have to be loud and animated to be a good actor,” he said.

Talking about the kind of stigma he faced for being openly gay, Benjamin revealed:

“I experienced it the first time when I was 11. My teacher called me ‘Ei Lady’ (this lady). Today, people in Assam are more aware but the acceptance is still low. Most believe that doctors can cure homosexuality and it’s heartbreaking to see so many queer folks faking their lives even now.”

Even in Mumbai, Benjamin has faced a certain kind of hostility from his neighbours. A resident in his housing complex in Malad called him “chhakka” out of the blue.

“She said I looked ‘unnatural’. I didn’t want trouble so I dyed my newly coloured white hair back to black…But don’t think I want to be invisible,” he said.

Benjamin sees his National Award victory as a win for his community – both the LGBTQ+ community and that of the Assamese people.

“There are lots of people who want to act in TV or movies but don’t get a chance because they are queer or have a north-eastern face. I hope the mindset of the entertainment industry changes.”

His film ‘Jonaki Porua’ tells the story of Jahnu and his story of becoming a transwoman, Jahnavi.

What an inspiration!

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