The Great British Bake Off star Rav Bansal has been inundated with support after receiving a homophobic letter arguing he was promoting a ‘perverse’ lifestyle.
Rav bravely discussed his sexuality on BBC Sunday Morning Live after recently coming out to his South Asian parents.
But while the majority of the reaction was supportive, the baker received a letter from a fellow Sikh that ‘cut me a bit deeper’.
The 31-year-old wrote on Twitter: ‘When I decided to come out publicly I expected to be faced with some negativity. For the most part I have been able to ignore it, but this letter cut me a bit deeper.
‘Annoyingly, it upset me more than I should have allowed it to. Religion should never be used to justify hate.’
The letter read: ‘I have been a fan of yours ever since I saw you on The Great British Bake Off a few years ago. I have followed your career since and have supported many of the projects you have been working on. I even attended your afternoon tea with my family earlier this year.
‘I recently saw a clip of you on the BBC where you opened [up] about being gay and Sikh, and I couldn’t have been more disappointed hearing this news. I feel as though you are promoting a false image of being a person who can follow the religion, yet you promote a perverse lifestyle as if it is something you should be proud of.
‘This is something you should have kept to yourself. Sikhism explicitly says that lustful behaviour is prohibited and the fact that you went public with this concerns me immensely.’
The man continued: ‘I have two young children and I don’t want them being exposed to this kind of inappropriate material. You are a public person and have a responsibility to behave in a way that won’t cause offense to people who may have looked up to you. I say that because I am deeply offended, as a Sikh myself, that you were so inconsiderate of the implication this would have on the wider community, which is why I was obliged to reach out.
‘Very rarely do us Sikhs see ourselves represented on the TV and many of us were so excited to see you excel in such a way. I feel as though you have thrown that all away by being gay.
‘With regret, I have to say that I will no longer be supporting you if you continue to go down this path. I hope that one day you will get some clarity on this issue.’
After posting the bigoted letter, Rav’s friends and fellow GBBO stars filed in to give him their support.
2019 baker Priya O’Shea tweeted: ‘Oh @RavSBansal this is awful and just immensely stupid. Your BBC piece with your family was so moving and SO needed! Remind yourself of all those people you inspire, you’ve set a wonderful example and have SO MUCH to be proud of.’
Season one winner Edd Kimber wrote: ‘This makes me so angry! Sorry you’ve had to endure this level of ignorance, just know that being publicly out does a huge good and the close minded people are not worth an ounce of your energy’, while series four’s Ali Imdad replied: ‘Yyooooo, why are you upset? You have one less bigot following you! Partaayyyyy.’
It was very difficult for my parents speak publicly about this, but they knew how important it was to show solidarity. I know I’m very lucky, as there are many South Asians who don’t have the same support. Here’s hoping that our voices will make a difference. ❤️✊? https://t.co/BmlAvhTHAx
— Rav Bansal (@RavSBansal) August 22, 2019
Series seven winner Candice Brown tweeted: ‘Absolutely piece of s*** My darling Rav. You are worth more and are more than any opinion or small minded individual. You are brave strong and loved.’
But perhaps our favourite response came from Sanjeev Bhaskar, who wrote: ‘If an idea or a person or a group is devoid of compassion and kindness, they or it, have lost any moral high ground or have not yet developed as a person or idea. Under baked, soggy bottom. Rise above it. At the very yeast. I’m stopping before I get too pun- jabi.’
Rav himself followed up his post by writing: ‘To whoever wrote this, I hope one-day YOU will find clarity, for your children’s sake. Your word will only make me louder and stronger..’
Yes Rav!
The baker, who also hosts the Do You Wear That In The Shower podcast, appeared on the 2016 series of Bake Off, making it to the final seven.
Back in August, he shared his experiences of coming out on the BBC, explaining that his parents have supported him.
Rav said: ‘I’m very, very lucky to have the family that I have and I feel as though I’m in a privileged position to be able to support and help other people. So if I can give back in any way, that would be a huge honour for me.’
The documentary saw Rav helping out an organisation that supports LGBT asylum seekers.
Sikhism has no specific teachings on homosexuality, with the universal goal of a Sikh is to have no hate or animosity to any person, regardless of factors like race, caste, color, creed, gender, or sexuality.
While there are confliciting views in modern Sikhism, many Sikhs support LGBTQ rights – while Lilly Singh, who was raised Sikh, came out publicly as bisexual earlier this year.
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