"I'd be shocked. I would probably slap him."
Rakul Preet Singh has come under fire for her response if she had a gay son after an old video resurfaced.
The Bollywood actress was a Miss India contestant in 2011 and during the pageant, she was asked a series of questions.
A clip resurfaced on Reddit, showing Rakul answering a “difficult” question.
In the video, Rakul was on-stage with Sonu Sood in front of a star-studded panel, featuring the likes of Kangana Ranaut and Fardeen Khan.
Fardeen asked her what she would do if she found out if her son was gay.
He asked: “Take a deep breath, this is not the easiest question. If you found out your son is gay, what would be your reaction?”
After a brief pause, Rakul responded:
“Well, honestly, if I found out that my son was gay, I’d be shocked. I would probably slap him.
“But later, I think choosing your sexuality is one’s own decision and if he wants to go ahead with that, I have no problems.
“As far as I’m concerned, I prefer to be straight.”
Rakul Preet Singh’s response went viral and it did not go down well with many social media users, who accused her of homophobia and ignorance.
One Reddit user said: “Nothing shocking about this. The amount of homophobia and racism within these ‘popular’ girls even in regular lives is insane.”
Another commented: “She is being ignorant. a) she thinks being gay is a choice, b) will slapping the son turn him straight.”
A third person wrote: “So unaware. So uneducated. ‘I will slap him’. Yes, because you normalise violence. ‘I prefer to be straight’ Yes because you are so brainwashed and close-minded.
“And these people get platforms to voice their opinions.
“These homophobic comments are made so casually on public platforms.”
“These are the very people who will do anything to be included while causing an unsafe environment for people who identify with different identities.
“This is sick. This is outdated. If her PR lurks here, do let her know how offensive and unaware she is.”
Others wondered why the question was asked at a beauty pageant in the first place.
Despite Rakul’s controversial response, others defended her.
One user said: “That’s a very reasonable response. You just can’t expect parents to normally come to terms with the fact that their son is gay, but ultimately they will accept that fact.
“I would say that this is a very realistic response.”
A second said: “That’s a pragmatic answer… Rakul said she will finally accept it.”
Loading ...