India is at crossroads with gay movement: Ian McKellen

May 26, 2016 01:35

Hollywood star Ian McKellen says India is at a juncture where it needs to decide whether it wants to move towards equality or stuck in the past as far as protection of LGBT rights is concerned.

The "Lord of the Rings" actor, who is openly gay, was speaking at the inauguration of seventh Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, India's only mainstream LGBT film fest.

"It seems to me that India is at some crossroads or another. You have to decide whether you're going to be stuck in the colonial past or enter the modern world. Join the rest of us, who are simply prepared to accept that we are all born equal, be it the colour of our skin or hair," he told reporters here.

"Whatever our sexuality, whatever our taste, we must all be treated equally. That is the world Nelson Mandela fought for. That is the future, I believe, Mahatma Gandhi dreamt of seeing," the veteran actor added.

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