Kiss of Love 2 Favorite 

Practitioner: 

Date: 

Oct 25 2014

Location: 

India

The Kiss of Love campaign in India is a non violent protest against moral policing. It started out as a Facebook page but gained momentum across India when a mob of conservative, right-wing party members attacked and demolished a coffee shop in Kozhikode, Kerala. Their grounds to do so was public display of affection by couples inside the coffee shop, which they saw as immoral activity.

The campaign took place within the context of several young couples being arrested or abused because of kissing openly; protests by conservative parties against Valentine's Day; and leaders of these parties threatening to forcibly get couples that celebrate Valentine's Day married.

It is against this blatant imposition on private lives, and also the unjustified violence that came along with it. It fights for the freedom to kiss and to express love for one another without having to fear morals being called into question.

The campaign brought protesters onto the street to kiss openly, in the face of police brutality and political forces like extreme right- wing parties claiming to protect "Indian culture and sensibilities" from Western influences. The Kiss of Love matches and demonstrations across India also saw a lot of LGBTQ presence, publicly opposing the antiquated Article 377 that renders homosexuality and same-sex marriages illegal in India. Young protesters held marches in most metropolitan cities in India and kissed each other, resisting interference by opposing forces and proving that political ideologies that claim public display of affection to be immoral are outdated.

Posted by Garima on

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