Author: Nirshan Perera
Publication: Rediff on Net, US
Edition
Date: November 17, 2000
The owner of a company that sells
toilet seats decorated with images of Hindu gods is a well-known tattoo
artist and lesbian activist.
A Rediff.com investigation revealed
that Lamar Van Dyke, who is listed as the principal of Seattle-based Sittin'
Pretty, is an outspoken member of the city's gay community who has contributed
to sociology journals and is the subject of a documentary about artists
exploring "unusual forms of body modification."
Van Dyke, who has not responded
to repeated phone calls and e-mails by Rediff.com and the American Hindus
Against Defamation, is employed at American Beauty Tattoo in downtown Seattle.
But in her off time Van Dyke runs
Sittin' Pretty from her Seattle residence. The one-year-old company employs
two people and uses its Web site (sittinprettydesign.com) as a primary
sales channel.
Yesterday, members of the AHAD
(formerly the American Hindu Anti-Defamation Coalition) discovered her
company's Sacred Seat product line displayed bold pictures of Lord Ganesha
and Goddess Kali on the bottom of lids. The $130 toilet seats protect the
artwork with a waterproof clear coat and come in three colors.
"Great as unforgettable gifts,
or as conversation pieces for your own home, these toilet seats are guaranteed
to add a smile to your bathroom décor," the Web site reads.
Van Dyke was one of four artists
featured in Leslie Asako Gladsjo's 1991 documentary Stigmata-The Transfigured
Body. The 28-minute video looks at body modification as an exploration
of beauty, self-determination, and female sexuality.
Her essay, "Contracts and Contract
Negotiating" in The Second Coming: A Leatherdyke Reader (Alyson Publications,
1996), is a how-to manual for dominants and submissives in sadomasochistic
relationships.
As a self-described "radical S&M
lesbian," the Seattle artist is a member of a highly visible minority community
that is often castigated by others.
"As women, we need to celebrate
the fact that we have survived 2,000 years of invisibility. 2,000 years
of our contributions being stolen, overlooked and labeled as insignificant,"
she observes in a bulletin board posting on the Lesbian Resource Center
News Online.
But today the Hindu community pondered
the irony of a radical lesbian feminist activist slighting the ideas held
precious by another minority group.
Nevertheless, Ajay Shah, who coordinates
the AHAD, was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. "I don't want
to attach any labels to her right now," he told Rediff.com. "For all we
know, she might be Hindu. She may think it's something really cool and
it propagates Hindu dharma. We just want to give her a chance to explain
herself and maybe withdraw this product. Unless we learn otherwise, we
must assume that is being done out of ignorance and not malice."
"Most of these people don't do
things like this because they have something inherently against Hindu dharma,"
he continued. "I don't think Lamar Van Dyke has some ax to grind against
Hindus, or she is doing this on purpose. But right now Hindu icons and
symbols have become part of the pop culture, from bindis to mehendi and
all the other things. What people might be trying to do is cash in on that
popularity without considering what kind of affect it will have on the
Hindu community at large."
Shah sent Van Dyke a preliminary
e-mail almost 24 hours ago and since then has left several phone messages.
"I am not certain if you realize
that this has already caused tremendous hurt in the community . " the AHAD
e-mail read. "We would like to give you the benefit of doubt . before
we talk with press . and other members of the Hindu community. As a responsible
business, we are certain that you will withdraw this product immediately
from the market."
But Van Dyke has remained silent.
"I've been patiently waiting, but I haven't heard anything from her yet.
Everyone is waiting for her response," Shah said this afternoon. As the
next step, he said the AHAD will publish a protest Web site (hindunet.org/ahad/sittinpretty)
today, where members of the Hindu community can learn about new developments
and sign a protest book.
The AHAD has already carried out
several successful cyber-protest campaigns. Recently, 15,000 protest petitions
forced California-based Fortune Dynamic to stop importing shoes emblazoned
with Hindu deities. And a 20,000-strong campaign caused the rock group
Aerosmith to issue a public apology for their 1997 Nine Lives album. The
cover art showed Lord Krishna with the head of a cat, breasts and wearing
a woman's blouse.
"The thing that we will do, that
we have always done, is to put a moral public pressure on someone who has
been offensive," Shah said, describing AHAD's protest strategy. "We understand
the First Amendment very well, we understand that people have the absolute
right to say whatever they want. But on the other hand, protesting something
is also covered under the First Amendment and that is our right."
Shah said that if Van Dyke continues
to be unresponsive, the next step after an Internet protest campaign could
be on-site picketing.
"Our contention has always been
that this causes tremendous harm to Hindus," Shah explained. "I think the
origin of much prejudice and discrimination against Indians in this country
is the denigration of Hindu symbols. When people can ridicule your symbols,
what stops them from ridiculing you?"
