Lawmakers Say This Holy City’s Airport Code Is Too GAY

As Indian lawmakers double down on their efforts to change a pilgrimage city’s airport code “GAY,” LGBTQ rights groups say the move speaks of their increasing homophobia.

On Feb. 4, the Parliament’s Committee on Public Undertakings reiterated its objection to the location identifier for the city of Gaya, deeming it too “inappropriate” for the sacred Indian city, and asked the government to “make all efforts” to change this code. Their suggestion: change the code from GAY to YAG.

Gaya, located in India’s northeastern state of Bihar, is where the Buddha is believed to have gained enlightenment. It has many sacred religious sites and receives thousands of pilgrims from the Hindu, Jain and Buddhist faiths every year.

LGBTQ rights groups are criticising the committee for making a fuss over the code.

“The parliamentary panel desperately wants to change Gaya Airport’s code… because it feels that GAY is embarrassing, offensive and inappropriate,” Indrajeet Ghorpade, a LGBTQ rights advocate from the group Yes, We Exist India, told VICE World News. “This reflects the insecurities of the parliamentarians, who still associate ‘gay’ with something to be ashamed of or disgusted about.”

The parliamentary committee has been lobbying to change the Gaya Airport code to YAG since January last year, when it said locals might find it “offensive or embarrassing” for their “holy city” to be known in the international community as the destination “GAY.” An airport code is a three-letter code designated by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to briefly identify a flight’s destination. The three letters are often based on the name of the city or airport, as in the case of Gaya.

But the chances of a code change are slim. In the Feb. 4 parliamentary session, the country’s Union Civil Aviation Ministry said IATA had rejected the committee’s request. “IATA stated that location codes are considered permanent and cannot be changed without strong justification primarily concerning air safety,” a ministry representative told the committee, which responded by calling for stronger action from the government to insist on the change. 

LGBTQ activists say this insistence based on homophobia is unacceptable.

“The fact that the panel has asked the government to continue to pursue the matter despite IATA rejecting the name-change request shows how deeply rooted the homophobia is,” Ghorpade said. “Honestly, this request itself is an international embarrassment. What are we telling the world? [That] India is about everyone’s support and everyone’s development but ‘GAY Airport – Oh my God, ew?’” 

The committee chairman, Santosh Kumar Gangwar, did not immediately return VICE World News’ request for comment.

Although India decriminalized homosexuality in 2018, rampant homophobic and transphobic attitudes continue to hound the country’s queer community. Activists have accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of actively fuelling prejudice against the queer community through its policies  and public statements. The government remains staunchly opposed to legalizing same-sex marriage, and it recently passed a law on assisted reproductive technologies that excludes the LGBTQ community. 

For LGBTQ advocates, the issue surrounding the Gaya Airport code not only bares the government’s backward attitude towards gender and sexuality, but also presents a missed opportunity for the country.

"It is shameful that instead of celebrating that India has such a unique code for an airport and making it a symbol of inclusivity, the government wants to do what it does best, change names,” said Ghorpade.

Follow Rimal Farrukh on Twitter.