DMK's regional ally leader apologizes after calling same-sex love 'perversion'
What's the story
Thol Thirumavalavan, a leader of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) and Member of Parliament from Chidambaram, has apologized for his remarks on same-sex relationships. The controversy erupted after an old video of Thirumavalavan calling same-sex love a "perversion" at an event at Coimbatore Agricultural University went viral. The comments were made on April 12 during the "Let Us Learn Democracy and Student Parliament 2025" event in response to a question from a law student about Tamil philosophical concepts of love.
Apology issued
'That is perversion...': Thirumavalavan's comments
In the video, Thirumavalavan said, "In English, they call that 'perversion.' If love happens between a man and another man, that is perversion. It is something that goes against nature." He later added that such relationships were "against dialectics." Although he also spoke poetically about love being a universal behavior among animals and an emotion beyond derivation, his initial comments sparked outrage when the video resurfaced online months later.
Community response
LGBTQIA+ community, activists condemn remarks
The LGBTQIA+ community, artists, and activists have condemned Thirumavalavan's remarks as deeply harmful. They pointed out that homosexuality was declassified as a disorder by the World Health Organization in 1990 and is legally protected in India. "A movement that claims to fight for liberation cannot exclude people based on who they love. Social justice cannot be selective," the statement said.
Public apology
'I sincerely apologize'
After the backlash, Thirumavalavan took to social media platform X to apologize to the LGBTQIA+ community. He wrote, "I felt remorse after knowing that my response to a student's question has caused hurt to the sexual minority community." He added, "I was informed that my comment without any hidden agenda has hurt them. I sincerely apologize." The VCK is part of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), which includes the Congress, CPI, CPI(M), IUML, MDMK, KDMK, and other smaller parties.