QAM: 365 days without 377
Director: Adele Selma
Duration: 01:31:39; Aspect Ratio: 1.779:1; Hue: 17.421; Saturation: 0.142; Lightness: 0.385; Volume: 0.212; Cuts per Minute: 7.255; Words per Minute: 120.635
Summary: On 2 July 2009 the Delhi High Court passed a landmark judgement. Sexual acts between consenting adults of the same sex had long been criminalised under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code.
Many people continue to hate and fear '‘queers’. ‘Queer’ stands for all LGBTI people, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex, and for Hijra, Kothi, Panthi – all those who are not accepted by a society that recognises only two genders and considers only heterosexual relationships valid.
Besides, the Delhi High Court’s progressive judgement is being stridently opposed by religious fundamentalists of every hue, who proclaim that the queers lives and desires go against “Indian culture”, that they are “diseased”, and so on. Yet we have always been a part of society, and we have the same rights to equality and dignity that belong to every individual in this democracy.
The Queer wish to place our main demands before our government and our society:
* The 377 case will now be heard in the Supreme Court, hence our demand for this law to be read down continues.
* The Constitution must include provisions to deal with all discrimination on the grounds of sexuality or gender.
*Those amonst us who are transgendered are not recognised by society. Equal citizenship rights and opportunities should be extended to all who do not fit into either of the two categories of male and female.
* The medical establsihment must be made aware of the reality of our lives and our needs, and cease all insensitive and cruel attempts to ‘cure’ us.
* Every individual is under tremendous pressure to marry a person of the opposite sex, as marriage is seen as a must in our society. We are launching a campaign against all such forced marriages.
* We call for an end to homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. We want freedom from violence and hate within families, in educational institutions, at places of work and in public spaces. We especially demand that fundamentalist forces stop abusing us and poisoning people’s minds against us.
Crowd - Our fight is still going on!
Girgaum Chowpatty
Lady - In Delhi city!
Crowd - Our fight is still going on!
Lady - At V.T. Station!
Crowd - Our fight is still going on!
Lady - In Chennai city!
Crowd - Our fight is still going on!
Lady - Against Trans-phobia!
Crowd - Our fight is still going on!
Lady - Against Homo-phobia!
Crowd - Our fight is still going on!
Lady - Against hatred!
Crowd - Our fight is still going on!
Lady - Against discrimination!
Crowd - Our fight is still going on!
Lady - Against injustice!
Crowd - Our fight is still going on!
Lady - Still going on, still going on!
Crowd - Our fight is still going on!
Lady - Still going on, still going on!
Crowd - Our fight is still going on!
Lady - In Chennai city!
Crowd - Our fight is still going on!
Lady - At Churchgate station!
Crowd - Our fight is still going on!
Lady - In Bangalore city!
Crowd - Our fight is still going on!
Lady - In Mumbai city!
Crowd- Our fight is still going on!
Crowd - We will overcome, we will overcome, we will overcome one day, we have faith in our minds, we are filled with faith, we will overcome one day.
Crowd - There will be peace all around, there will be peace all around one day, we have faith in our minds, we are filled with faith, we will overcome one day.
Crowd - (Cheering)
Speaker - Sorry!
Man - We want the rights.
Speaker - You want the rights?
Speaker - And who do you think can give you the rights?
Man - The government.
Speaker - The government!
Speaker - You want to say something to the government?
Speaker - See when it comes to saying something nobody wants to say anything, huh?
Man - We are fighting for that.
Speaker - Fighting?
Man - Yes
Speaker - Where?
Man - Here.
Speaker - At the border?
Speaker- Ok! As much as we admire the judges for their verdict, one can't forget the effort put by the lawyers and their belief that they could make this happen.
Speaker - One of them has been very active in the queer rights movement right from the beginning.
Speaker - In 2005, even before Queer Azadi marches started; there was a protest at flora fountain. I don't know how many of you know that. It was against the arrest of people under 377.
Speaker - This was the first one in Mumbai or you can say Bombay. Since then he has been there with us, shouted slogans, walked with us for every rally. Lets welcome advocate Anand Grover.
Crowd - (Cheering)
Anand - Thank you very very much. First we have to shout slogans. I will give you a slogan.
Whom will you give the final push, to 377?
Anand - Give the final push.
Crowd - to 377.
Anand - I will say 'to 377' and you say 'Give the final push'
Anand - To 377!
Crowd - Give the final push!
Anand - To 377!
Crowd - Give the final push!
Anand - Down with 377!.... 377!
Crowd - Down with it.
Anand - Down with it, down with it, down with 377!
Anand - Today is a historic day, I don't want to actually belittle it but please appreciate when the LGBTI community says that this is the second independence, it really means that.
Anand - The British left us a legacy where some sections of the community were criminalized.
Anand - With the verdict on the 2nd of July last year, the Delhi High Court said that no longer will people be criminalized because they have a sexual orientation which is different from heterosexuality. So its a very very big victory.
Anand - I want to salute everybody who took part from 2001 not 2005 when we filed a petition and as people have actually gathered momentum, as the movement has gathered momentum, we have to salute first the judges who gave that judgement. Lets say.......
(Crowds cheering)
Anand - We have to also salute all those people, who came on within the movement, with in the march, though they were not supporting us in the early days.
Anand - It was a long fight but they all came, the mothers, the sisters of the gay people who said yes my son is gay, my daughter is lesbian, my child is trans-gender and I am proud of them.
(Crowds cheering)
Anand - The other thing I want to make very clear, there are lots of people who don't want this movement to succeed.
Anand - They are trying to sow divisions in the movement. They talk of things like, some people have argued on human rights and other people have argued on HIV.
Anand - Those people who have fought all the lawyers don't see it like that.
Anand - We see that we have fought in compliment to each other, we have fought for the whole of the society because the discrimination which exists against LGBTI community cannot to be tolerated by any person who believes in rights.
Anand - So this is a fight for everybody in society. This fight, the battle has been won in the Delhi High Court but the war still has to be won. We have the appeals filed by 17 organizations in the Supreme Court.
Anand - Those appeals are by people who are not very important. I am very confident that we will win those cases so let us not have this attitude that we are going to lose. We are going to win.
(Crowds cheering)
Anand - But even after winning things are not going to be rosy because sigma and discrimination which exists in the society will be there for a very long period of time.
Anand - We have to fight, we have to fight with our allies. We have to bring more people into our movement.
Anand - Lets not have only thousand people next year, lets have ten thousand people next year. We have to get everybody.
(Crowds cheering)
Anand - I want to tell my friends that this is a historic day.
Anand - Last year on the 2nd of July a historic verdict was given because the Britishers had pressurized us and made a law which caused differences and discrimination...
Anand - .....and people were arrested because they were homosexual and the Britishers felt that this was not natural. It was unnatural.
Anand - One stage of that historic war has been completed. That victory of ours was very important. People don't want this to happen.
Anand - Some people say that this causes division among us. If you're from LGBT then you go to a one place and if you are not from LGBT then you go to another place.
Anand - This great war is the greatest of them all. Whether you are from LGBT or not,this is a historic war which is for equality. So we should all get together and we have to give the last push to 377.
Anand - This appeals which have been made in the Supreme Court, there are 17 appeals. We will definitely win in those appeals. We will win.
- (Crowds cheering).
Anand - My friend are saying that we will not fight in front of this judge because we are scared.
Anand - He will give a verdict against us. If our cause is just cause then you will never lose. We should understand and in our heart we should have this thought that our cause is just.
Anand - And this war of ours is just so there is no chance of a losing verdict, only a winning verdict.
- ( Crowds cheering)
Anand - In the end I want to tell you only this thing, that these people who are trying to seperate us that these people are... See, what do you know? You don't know.
Anand - You must have seen it on television that the people who are against us, what are they saying?
Anand - Ahha! We are not against decriminalization. What are we against? That the gay people should not get married.
Anand - This is what they are saying now but they will definitely oppose us. But it is a matter of joy that the big parts of society, Bartiya Janta Party, political party, Congress party. They are not against us.
Anand - They are with us, in favour of us.
- (crowds cheering)
Anand - And the only people who are against us are small people who have no worth and it is not a big thing to defeat them.
Anand - And in the end I would like to say this, there are many parts of our agitation. There are lesbians, transgenders, etc. and there are other also who are not within LGBTI.
Anand - We have to take them also and move on because this war is for everyone.
Anand - And if everyone stays together then no one can break us. So I would only like to say that we will definitely win and I would like to end with that. Thank You.
- (Crowds cheering)
- Now Manavji will come and say something so I would like to request Manavji to please come and say something.
Manav - Queer Azadi Zindabad!
Crowd - Zindabad, zindabad!
Manav - Today is a very historic day for us because for the first time in Indian history we have spent 1 year without 377 and I feel that our fight is not yet over and we still have to fight for a lot of other things.
Manav - We have to pay more attention to our rights because even though the government, Delhi High Court has made this decision, we have to make our voice heard to the religious leaders who have come against us in the supreme court.
Manav - We also want to tell the government that our fundamental rights which have been guaranteed by the Indian Constitution, we should get it.
Manav - We should be treated equally and should be given respect and like Mr. Anand Grover has said that we have to become as one and fight.
Manav - We have to show unity and that we are all one no matter where we stay in India.
Manav - Whenever I go abroad I always say that India is one...
- ( Crowds cheering).
- So should I call?
Crowd - Yes.
- How many people say we should call?
Crowd - (Cheering)
- Half are saying yes and half are saying no. Ok so now I will call, should I? Ok come. Should I say who is coming?
Crowd - Who ?
- I will not take the name, I will just call him in front of you and then you can keep looking as much as you like.
- Clap hands! The dancers will get a boost because of you.
- ( Crowds cheering).
- Clap hands! please clap hands again.
- ( Crowds cheering).
- This mike has got stuck here so please wait for some time. I am removing it out now.
- Because you are not clapping that is why the song has not yet started.
- (Crowds cheering)
- This dance will last till you'll stop clapping. Show them our energy.
- Again you stopped just because I went away.
Sanober - ... I have gone to a lot of protests from the time I was small but there is so much fun in your community's protests which doesn't come in any other protest.
- ( Crowds clapping)
Sanober - This is a very happy thing that the Delhi High court has given this decision but going to the supreme court and taking that judgement also is what we are hoping, this is one thing.
Sanober - But there is another big task in front of us and that is among all the people, every worker, farmer, student, everyone's mind should change about our community, your community.
Sanober - And their thinking is old fashioned and they don't know what good people you are which I know because I have been with you for so many years.
Sanober - So this is a very big task for all of us, you and me. The mindset of the people which belong to the working class needs to change.
Sanobear - Their thinking about us should change so that in our struggle we become one. In their struggles we take part and in our struggles they take part.
Sanober - And in a proper way we should become a republic nation. ?..........................?
( Crowd clapping)
- Thank you Sanober next will be Franklyn. Franklyn is a member of the Trade Union Solidarity committee and he is a trade unionist and will give us his solidarity statement.
- Should we start? Then start breathing. From your nose please. Ok start breathing. No there is no noise of anyone breathing. Now slowly slowly leave your breath.
- Did you leave? Now we will continue.
- Now is everyone better? Otherwise go to the doctor. Ok, so now....
- So now some people from our community will come and give us their views so firstly I would like to request Laxmi to come. Laxmi please come.
- Laxmi is getting ready and coming, last minute preparations.
- Laxmi you don't have get ready.
Laxmi - You correctly said I don't have to get ready and none of you also have to get ready because we have been born ready.
- (Crowds clapping)
Laxmi - Ohh! yes today feels so good and I am very sorry that I came so late. I was stuck in traffic, my father health.......
- Seeing you we forgive you.
Laxmi - Arre....... One minute. Press press press press. My kids are not looking at me but I am a young Maduri. Yes!
Laxmi - Today no matter how much we shout how much we talk, but people are not listening like 19 petitions are there in the supreme court and Anand Grover also has spoken here.
Laxmi - And all the other people....Today we are just trying to say that we should unite and by one single judgement of the Delhi High Court our fight hasn't ended.
Laxmi - Definitely not ended, it has just begun. The Bombay gymkhana which is in front of you, here only I was asked to leave.
Laxmi - Even though in front of the entire media, society I am a celebrity but nothing like that.
Laxmi - I am a eunuch firstly and even before that this society who is looking at us from outside this boundary, we are better than them.
- ( Crowds clapping)
Laxmi - I remember that in the ministry of Arunachal Pradesh it was said that should eunuch be taken into the army?
Laxmi - Wait first at least listen to what I have to say. I said love for the nation, love for the nation is not based on sex.
Laxmi - A gay also has the same amount of love for the nation, a lesbian also has the same amount of love for the nation, a bisexual also has the same amount of love for the nation, a koti also has the same amount of love for the nation, a TG or Kinder.
Laxmi - No matter what we call ourselves first we are Indians and we love our country and the biggest thing we again....
Laxmi - ...even though we fight a lot within our house this we have seen in QAM. No matter how much we fight but we have to be united forgetting our differences.
Laxmi - Because today there is INFOSEM, ABCOM, Asia Pacific Trans gender is there.HAMSAFAR is there LIBIA is there, Street Sangama is there.
Laxmi - Kindiguals is there, Kinder Kasturi, Kinder Smita, Sakhi Char Chaughi... No matter how many names I take, it will not be enough.
Laxmi - Our reflection is also there. So we should look at ourselves in each others eyes and we should try and make our life better.
Laxmi - There is something which I should say here but it is a political statement, when Bombay Gymkhana had the entire incident with me only 2 people came out to support me in such a big society.
Laxmi - One Aanad Grover and the other is Mr. Vikram Doctor. But I don't feel sorry for that because I could fight alone but the press and the media gave me a lot of support.
Laxmi - One thing I felt bad about that none of you phoned and called. Some people Jenika, Shalini, Kabir. only some of these people must have called me.
Laxmi - But my own people had forgotten me. I will always feel bad about that but today Laxmi has sources so she fought.
Laxmi - But tomorrow if this happens to some eunuch standing on the road or some gay or some koti then we should all stay together.
Laxmi - We should not leave them alone. This will be our first and last mistake and me Laxmi with my entire capacity will do what ever needed. Tomorrow if you say Laxmi has to get naked and fight here that also I am ready to do because we want our rights.
Laxmi - And that right we will take. Thank you. I love you all.
- Thank you Laxmi. Now I would like to share some thing with you. This is not a new thing but it needs to be said.
- From the past 2-3 years we are fighting through marches. Some of us are not part of only queer rights movement, we take part in other movements also like womens rights movements, trade union movement.....
- ...so by supporting each other only can we move in front. So like we take part in other movements and their struggles, people from other movements also walk with us and from the past 2 years also they are with us in the queer azadi marches.
- So some of them also will give us their solidarity statements in front of us. So first there will be Sanober. Sanober is a human rights activist.
- She is also a feminist and is on the committee for Dr. Vinayak Sen, so would request her to please come.
- Hello, for the elder I touch their feet and for the youngsters Salam Malekum. Ok.
- Ehh! Kiner Kasuri and Shan Boje. Kiner Kasuri and Shan Boje presents a theme show of eunuchs, ' Laga Chuneri Me Dag ','Laga Chuneri Me Dag.'
- Who am I? What is my identity? Who am I? What is my identity? I kept walking on this journey and the storms of sadness kept coming in this valley. Still I didn't lose courage and kept walking on this journey.
- I am a human being. I am a life. I am life and sacrifice. I am a curse. I am a curse and I am only a blessing.
- I am a curse and I am only a blessing, I am a eunuch and this is my pride. I am a eunuch and this is my pride.
- I am a eunuch and this is my pride. I am a eunuch but in-spite of being a eunuch, I can become a lot of things come lets see what.
- (Music plays in the background)
- I am a eunuch but if my family, friends and society support me then I can become a mother.
- Smiling after troubles is life. Smiling after troubles is life. Smiling in sadness is also life. Smiling after troubles is life. Smiling in sadness is also life.In happiness what life have we lived.
- In happiness what life have we lived. Arre! in happiness what life have we lived? Celebrating forgetting sadness is also life. Jai ho!
- (Crowds cheering)
Lady 1 - Queer Azadi!
Crowd - ZIndabad!
Lady1 - Zindabad! Zindabad!Queer Azadi! Zindabad! Queer Azadi! Zindabad! Queer Azadi! Zindabad!
Lady 1- Wonderful! Even you'll come on. You are not even saying Zindabad! for azadi. Today is our freedom day and today we have become free. Again we will say Queer Azadi! Zindabad! Zindabad!
Lady 2 - Queer Azadi! Zindabad!
Lady 1 - Queer Azadi!
Crowd - Zindabad!
Lady 1 - I can't hear. I can't hear at all. People are still standing there only.
Lady 2 - The people outside are please requested to come closer. This is the last bit of the program. They are requested to please come close.
Person in crowd - How close?
Lady 2 - As close as possible.
Lady 1 - Come on top. Come up.
Lady 1 - All right she is with us now. So you are going to say Zindabad! Yaa?
Girl in white shirt - Zindabad!
Lady 1 - That is it. See the spirit. Alright.
Lady 2 - So Ehh! people this is the last bit and together raise your hands and clap today and we want all of you to join in.
Lady 2 - Raise your hands and clap today friends, fellow queers, comrades. Let us raise our hands and clap today like we have never clapped before.
Lady 2 - Let us raise our arms and clap for the year it has been.
Lady 2 - Let us join our hands today for the year to come.
Crowd - (clapping)
Lady 2 - Let us clap today for the years some of them that have gone before us.
Crowd - (clapping)
Lady 2 - And the years that are going to come after and lets us clap the loudest for the joy within us and here.
Crowd - (Clapping and cheering).
Lady 1 - Come on lets us raise our hands and clap today like we have never clapped before. For this great year let us clap.
Lady 1 - For the years to come let us clap. For the struggle of the past few years and for the struggle of the coming years let us clap.
Crowd - (Clapping and cheering)
Lady 1 - And let us clap for the joy within us and here.
Lady 2 - Lets join our hands and clap. Lets raise our hands and clap. Lets lift our arms and clap.
Lady 1 - For this struggle, effort, life, for equality lets us clap hands.
Lady 2 - And for the challenge let us clap.
Lady 1 - And let us clap for all who are present here and also for those who are not here today.
( Crowd clapping).
Lady 2 - Let our claps today be claps for joy. Let us clap today, we clap for the anger. Let us clap, we clap for sorrow. Let us clap, we clap for struggle. Let us clap, we clap for expectations.
( Crowds cheering).
Lady 1 - Our claps are for happiness, for anger, for sorrow, for struggle, for our foundation and for our rebellion Let us all clap our hands today in this joy that we are here today.
(Crowds clapping).
Lady 2 - Lets clap for all the lesbians.
Lady 1 - Lets clap for all the people who are present here today.
Lady 2 - Lets clap for all the lesbians.
Lady 1 - Lets clap for all the transgenders.
Lady 2 - Lets clap for all the gays.
Lady 1 - Lets clap for all the bisexual people.
Lady 2 - Lets clap for all the eunuchs.
Lady 1 - Lets clap for all inter-sex people.
Lady 2 - Lets clap for all the gender queers.
Lady 1 - Lets clap for all the queers.
Lady 2 - Lets clap for all the straight supporter friends.
Lady 1 - Lets clap for the families who support us.
Lady 2 - Lets clap for all the friends we are fortunate to have.
Lady 1 - Lets clap for all the people who are present here today who believe in justice.
Lady 2 - Lets clap for each and every person who is come here.
Lady 1 - Lets clap for the support. Lets clap for love and strength. Lets clap for unity in our struggles.
Lady 2 - Lets clap for all those people today who couldn't come here today.
Lady 2 - Those friends who even though they wanted to couldn't come, lets clap for them also.
Lady 2 - For those who are sitting at home with fear, lets clap for them also. Lets also clap for all our friends who have left us after fighting with us for so long.
Lady 1 - Lets also clap for all of those people who can't recognize themselves.
Lady 1 - That small boy who will tomorrow be a beautiful girl.
Lady 1 - His friend, that girl with whom he will fall in love with.
Lady 1 - For those women who know within themselves and who think that they are different from everyone else.
Lady 1 - And lets clap for all those people. Come on people, we are proud to be gay.
Lady 1 - Lets clap in the anger which we faced because of homo-phobia in our houses, schools, collages and places of work.
Lady 1 - The injustice that has been done to our body and minds and for the constant injustice that we feel, come lets clap in that anger.
Lady 1 - Lets clap in that anger that now we will stop this. Our freedom is guaranteed and we will win.
Lady 2 - Let us clap in protest. We will not be forced into marriages. We will not be named against our wills. We will not be forced to live by rules that destroy our means.
Lady 1 - Yes!
Lady 2 - Come lets clap in sadness for those people whose families killed them just because they dared to fall in love.
Lady 2 - For those who were forcibly put into hospitals just because they were different. For those who were indifferent to the changes outside and believed themselves to be alone and wrong and lived their lives unseen (unnoticed) by others. Yes lets us clap in sadness for all of them.
Lady 1 - Lets clap in celebration. Celebration of equality. Celebration of difference, of love, justice, equality and freedom.
Lady 1 - Lets clap loudly in that celebration so that everyone can see that we are celebrating here.
Lady 2 - And let us clap in solidarity. Let us clap in solidarity for those who believe in freedom.
Lady 2 - Let us clap in solidarity for all fighting marginalization, with all working for social change and with cause of struggling for justice against all odds.
Lady 2 - Let us clap hard.
- (Crowds clapping).
Lady 2 - Let us clap long, let us clap strong.
Lady 1 - Lets clap louder. Lets clap with equality and let us clap with energy. Let us clap with strength.
Lady 2 - Finally let us clap so that each heart resounds with our claps. Let us clap so that the city has heard this sound. Let us clap so that the world hears this sound.
Lady 1 - Let us clap such that it resounds in every heart. Lets clap such that it is heard in every corner of the city. Let us clap such that in every corner of this country and this world this thunder resounds.
Lady 2 - Friends, queer friends, comrades let us all clap.
Lady 1 - Freedom, freedom, queer freedom.
Lady 2 - Queer freedom, Zindabad!
Crowd - Zindabad! Zindabad!
Lady 1 - Zindabad! Zindabad!
Girl in white - Zindabad! Zindabad!
Lady 1 - Thank you.
Lady 1 - Thank you all for being here.
- ( Crowds cheering).
Lady in sari - I would like to tell you like why we are gathered here today my friends who have been released from the shackles of 377. Queer friends, supporters and the people who have always supported us in our struggle.
Lady in sari - And in this celebration and in this protest all of you are welcome. Would you like to welcome yourselves?
Crowds - Yes! ( Clapping and cheering).
Girl with turban - Ok, so last year on 2nd July, Justice A.B.Shah and Justice Murlidaran passed a historic verdict. Do we all know that?
Crowd - Yes!
Girl with turban - Ok. Lets hear some of the most special parts of the judgement from Srini and Ankur.
Srini - Ok. We are going to read only the last 2 pages of the judgement. Ill read it in english and Ankur will follow it in hindi.
Srini - Ok. This is how the judgement read when it was said and spoken out on the second of July 2009. The criminalization of homosexuality condemns in perpetuity a sizable section of society and forces them to live their life in the shadow of harassment.
Srini - Exploitation, humiliation, cruel and degrading treatment in the hands of the law enforcement machinery. The government of India estimates the innocent population around 25 Lacs. The number of lesbians and transgenders is said to be several lacs as well.
Srini - This vast majority is denied moralful citizenship. Section 377 I.P.C. grossly violates their right to privacy and liberty embodied in article 21. Even so far as it criminalizes consensual sexual acts between adults in public.
Srini - The nature of the provision of section 377 I.P.C. and its purpose is to criminalize private conduct of consenting adults which causes no harm to anyone else.
Srini - It has no purpose other than to criminalize conduct which fails to conform with the modern religious views of a section of society.
Srini - Popular morality as distinct from a constitutional morality defined from constitutional values is based on shifting and subjecting notions of right and wrong.
Srini - If there is any kind of morality that can pass at the behest of a compelling state interest it must be constitutional morality.
Srini - And not public morality. In the present case, the 2 constitutional rights relied upon, that is right to personal liberty and the right to equality are fundamental human rights which belong to individuals which simply by virtue of their humanity independent of any utilitarian concentration.
Srini - The notion of equality in the Indian Constitution flows from the objective evolution moved by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on Dec 13th 1946.
Srini - He said "Words are magic things often enough but even the magic of words sometimes cannot convey the magic of the human spirit."
Srini - "And of a nations passion". This resolution seeks very feebly to tell the world of what we have thought or dreamt of so long and what we now hope to achieve in the near future.
Srini - If there is one constitutional terror that can be said to be the underlined theme of the Indian Constitution, it is that of inclusiveness.
Srini - This court believes that the Indian Constitution reflects this value deeply in grind in the Indian society nurtured over several generations.
Srini - Where society can display inclusiveness and understanding such persons can be assured of a life of dignity and non-discrimination.
Srini - In our view the Indian Constitution law does not permit the statutory criminal law to be held captive by the popular misconception of who the LGBTs are.
Srini - It cannot be forgotten that discrimination is an anti piece of equality and it is the recognition of equality which will foster the dignity of every individual.
Srini - We declare the section 377 of the I.P.C. in so far it criminalizes consensual sexual acts of adults in private is violative of articles 21,14 and 15 of the constitution.
- I still can't hear you. How doing Mumbai?
- (Crowds cheering).
- Ahhh! Finally. Are we feeling happy and gay today?
Crowd - Yes!
- More happy or more gay?
Crowd - (shouts)
- I can't hear you. More happy or more gay?
Crowd - (shouts)
- Gay is it?
Crowd - Yes!
- Ok. Do you'll know why we are here tonight? Anyone tell me why we are here today?
Crowd - Ya...
- Anyone?
- We are all here for some rock show. Don't I look like a rock star.
Crowd - (Cheering)
- Well we are not here for a rock show but this is not less than a rock show and Kaveri is going to tell us why.
- Queers. Wooo! Friends, family, supporters, everybody here. Do you know why we have assembled here today? Do you know?
Crowd - Yes!...
- Do you people know?
Lady - You'll know.
Crowd - Yes!..
- Should I tell? What happened today on 2nd July?
( Crowd mumbles)
Lady in sari - I can't here anyone's voice from the teeth and the tongue. Who knows where it is coming from? Please today why have we all come here today, please tell me. If you don't know then I will tell you.
Lady in sari - Nobody has any energy. For today nobody has any energy in them. Is still going on, is still going on!
Crowd - Our fight is still going on!
Lady in sari - Is still going on, is still going on!
Crowd - Our fight is still going on!
Lady in sari - So much voice come on the FM at home.
Lady in sari - I would like to tell you like why we are gathered here today my friends who have been released from the shackles of 377. Queer friends, supporters and the people who have always supported us in our struggle.
Lady in sari - And in this celebration and in this protest all of you are welcome. Would you like to welcome yourselves?
Crowd - Yes! ( Clapping and cheering).
- Ok, so last year on 2nd July, Justice A.B.Shah and Justice Murlitharan passed a historic verdict. Do we all know that?
Crowd - Yes!
- Ok. Lets hear some of the most special parts of the judgement from Srini and Ankur.
Srini - Ok. We are going to read only the last 2 pages of the judgement. Ill read it in english and Ankur will follow it in hindi.
Srini - Ok. This is how the judgement read when it was said and spoken out on the second of July 2009.
Srini - The criminalization of homosexuality condemns in perpetuity a sizable section of society and forces them to live their life in the shadow of harassment.
Srini - Exploitation, humiliation, cruel and degrading treatment in the hands of the law enforcement machinery.
Srini - The government of India estimates the innocent population around 25 Lacs. The number of lesbians and transgenders is said to be several lacs as well.
Srini - This vast majority is denied moralful citizenship. Section 377 I.P.C. grossly violates their right to privacy and liberty embodied in article 21. Even so far as it criminalizes consensual sexual acts between adults in public.
Srini - The nature of the provision of section 377 I.P.C. and its purpose is to criminalize private conduct of consenting adults which causes no harm to anyone else.
Srini - It has no purpose other than to criminalize conduct which fails to conform with the modern religious views of a section of society.
Srini - Popular morality as distinct from a constitutional morality defined from constitutional values is based on shifting and subjecting notions of right and wrong.
Srini - If there is any kind of morality that can pass at the behest of a compelling state interest it must be constitutional morality and not public morality.
Srini - In the present case, the 2 constitutional rights relied upon, that is right to personal liberty and the right to equality are fundamental human rights which belong to individuals which simply by virtue of their humanity independent of any utilitarian concentration.
Srini - The notion of equality in the Indian Constitution flows from the objective evolution moved by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on Dec 13th 1946.
Srini - He said "Words are magic things often enough but even the magic of words sometimes cannot convey the magic of the human spirit and of a nations passion".
Srini - This resolution seeks very feebly to tell the world of what we have thought or dreamt of so long and what we now hope to achieve in the near future.
Srini - If there is one constitutional terror that can be said to be the underlined theme of the Indian Constitution, it is that of inclusiveness. This court believes that the Indian Constitution reflects this value deeply in-grained in the Indian society nurtured over several generations.
Srini - Where society can display inclusiveness and understanding such persons can be assured of a life of dignity and non-discrimination.
Srini - In our view the Indian Constitution law does not permit the statutory criminal law to be held captive by the popular misconceptions of who the LGBTs are.
Srini - It cannot be forgotten that discrimination is an anti piece of equality and it is the recognition of equality which will foster the dignity of every individual.
Srini - We declare the section 377 of the I.P.C. in so far it criminalizes consensual sexual acts of adults in private is violative of articles 21,14 and 15 of the constitution.
- ( Crowds cheering)
Ankur - The criminalization of homosexuality condemns in perpetuity a sizable section of society and forces them to live their life in the shadow of harassment exploitation, humiliation, cruel and degrading treatment in the hands of the law enforcement machinery.
Ankur - The government of India estimates the innocent population around 25 Lacs. The number of lesbians and transgenders is said to be several lacs as well.
Ankur - This vast majority is denied moralful citizenship. Section 377 I.P.C. grossly violates their right to privacy and liberty. Even so far as it criminalizes consensual sexual acts between adults in public.
Ankur - Because of section 377 I.P.C., all homosexual people are seen as criminals. When everything related to homosexuality is considered......................, wrong and ............................... then the full gay and lesbian community is considered to be............................. Instead of what they do, what they think because of this they have to face............ and ................. of people. Because of this a large section of society which doesn't follow the popular sexual preference, suffers .................................. and .......................................................
Ankur - The nature of the provision of section 377 I.P.C. and its purpose is to criminalize private conduct of consenting adults which causes no harm to anyone else.
Ankur - In reality, it has no purpose other than to criminalize conduct which fails to conform with the modern religious views of a section of society.
Ankur - ?.............................This discrimination is against the rights and liberties of the homosexuals and it hurts their self respect. Popular Morality and obvious dislike of certain issues is not enough to ban the right which are given according to section 21........................?
Ankur - Popular morality as distinct from a constitutional morality defined from constitutional values is based on shifting and subjecting notions of right and wrong.
Ankur - If the government has to make any policies on the basis of this morality, then.......
Lady with wig - Where have the words touched you'll? Where?
Crowd - (Mumbles)
Lady with wig - Down?
Lady with wig - The heart?
Crowd - Yes!
Lady with wig - I can't hear you. Where did it touch you?
Crowd - The heart!
Lady with wig - The heart. How many of us believe in love? Nobody? How many of us believe in love? Say yes, no, something.
Crowd - (Shouts).
Lady with wig - But how many of us are really free to love who ever we can love? Do you still feel free enough?
Crowd - Yes!
Lady with wig - Do you?
Crowd - Yes!
Lady with wig - Do you think we have the freedom yet?
Crowd - Yes/No!
Lady with wig - Then why are we here today? I don't think so. Sorry?
Man - We want the rights.
Lady - You want the rights?
Lady - And who do you think can give you the rights?
Man - The government.
Lady - The government!
Lady - You want to say something to the government?
Lady - See when it comes to saying something nobody want to say anything, huh?
Man - We are fighting for that
Lady - Fighting?
Man - Yes
Lady - Where?
Man - Here.
Lady - At the border?
Lady - Ok! As much as we admire the judges for their verdict, one can't forget the effort put by the lawyers and their belief that they could make this happen.One of them has been very active in the queer rights movement right from the beginning.
Lady - In 2005, even before Queer Azadi marches started, there was a protest at flora fountain. I don't know how many of you know that. It was against the arrest of people under 377.
Lady - This was the first one in Mumbai or you can say Bombay. Since then he has been there with us, shouted slogans, walked with us for every rally. Lets welcome advocate Anand Grover.
Crowd - (Cheering)
Anand - Thank you very very much. First we have to shout slogans. I will give you a slogan.
Whom will you give the final push, to 377.
Anand - Give the final push.
Crowd - to 377.
Anand - I will say 'to 377' and you say 'Give the final push'
Anand - To 377!
Crowd - Give the final push!
Anand - To 377!
Crowd - Give the final push!
Anand - Down with 377!.... 377!
Crowd - Down with it.
Anand - Down with it, down with it, Down with 377!
Anand - Today is a historic day, I don't want to actually belittle it but please appreciate when the LGBTI community says that this is the second independence, it really means that.
Anand - The British left us a legacy where some sections of the community were criminalized.
Anand - With the verdict on the 2nd of July last year, the Delhi High Court said that no longer will people be criminalized because they have a sexual orientation which is different from heterosexuality.
Anand - So its a very very big victory. I want to salute everybody who took part from 2001 not 2005 when we filed a petition and as people have actually gathered momentum,
Anand - ...as the movement has gathered momentum, we have to salute first the judges who gave that judgement. Lets say...
(Crowds cheering)
Anand - We have to also salute all those people, who came on within the movement, within the march, though they were not supporting us in the early days.
Anand - It was a long fight but they all came, the mothers, the sisters of the gay people who said yes my son is gay, my daughter is lesbian, my child is trans-gender and I am proud of them.
(Crowds cheering)
Anand - The other thing I want to make very clear, there are a lot of people who don't want this movement to succeed.
Anand - They are trying to sow divisions in the movement. They talk of things like, some people have argued on human rights and other people have argued on HIV.
Anand - Those people who have fought all the lawyers don't see it like that.
Anand - This fight, the battle has been won in the Delhi High Court but the war still has to be won. We have the appeals filed by 17 organizations in the Supreme Court.
Anand - Those appeals are by people who are not very important. I am very confident that we will win those cases so let us not have this attitude that we are going to lose. We are going to win.
(Crowds cheering)
Anand - But even after winning things are not going to be rosy because sigma and discrimination which exists in the society will be there for a very long period of time.
Anand - We have to fight, we have to fight with our allies. We have to bring more people into our movement.
Anand - Lets not have only thousand people next year, lets have ten thousand people next year. We have to get everybody.
(Crowds cheering)
Anand - I want to tell my friends that this is a historic day. Last year on the 2nd of July a historic verdict was given because the Britishers had pressurized us and made a law
Anand - ...which caused differences and discrimination and people were arrested because they were homosexual and the Britishers felt that this was not natural. It was unnatural.
Anand - One stage of that historic war has been completed. That victory of ours was very important. People don't want this to happen.
Anand - Some people say that this caused division among us. If you're from LGBT then you go to a one place and if you are not from LGBT then you go to another place.
Anand - This great war is the greatest of them all. Whether you are from LGBT or not this is a historic war which is for equality. So we should all get together and we have to give the last push to 377.
Anand - This appeals which have been made in the Supreme Court, there are 17 appeals. We will definitely win in those appeals. We will win.
- (Crowds cheering).
Anand - My friend are saying that we will not fight in front of this judge because we are scared. He will give a verdict against us.
Anand - If our cause is just cause then you will never lose. We should understand and in our heart we should have this thought that our cause is just.
Anand - And this war of ours is just so there is no chance of losing, only winning.
- ( Crowds cheering)
Anand - In the end I want to tell you only this thing that these people who are trying to separate us that these people are... See, what do you know? You don't know.
Anand - You must have seen it on television that the people who are against us, what are they saying?
Anand - Ahha! We are not against decriminalization. What are we against? That the gay people should not get married. This is what they are saying now but they will definitely oppose us.
Anand - But it is a matter of joy that the big parts of society, Bartiya Janta Party, political party, Congress party. They are not against us.
Anand - They are with us, in favour of us.
- (crowds cheering)
Anand - And the only people who are against us are small people who have no worth and it is not a big thing to defeat them. We will throw them out.
Anand - And in the end I would like to say this, there are many parts of our agitation.
Anand - There are lesbians, transgenders, etc. and there are other also who are not within LGBTI. We have to take them also and move on because this war is for everyone.
Anand - And if everyone stays together then no one can break us. So I would like to say only this that we will definitely win and I would like to end with this. Thank You.
- (Crowds cheering)
- ( Crowds cheering and clapping)
Lady in sari - Hello! Is everyone here? Hello! Hello!
Crowd - Yes!
Lady in sari - I can't hear anything, absolutely nothing all I can hear is some 'pach pach pach pach'. Hello!
Crowd - Yes!
Lady in sari - Hello!
Crowd - Yes!
Lady in sari - Hello!
Crowd - Yes!
Lady in sari - Hello! Hello! There is a lot of crowd here in front. There is a lot of crowd in the front please.
Reporter - Why have you come here? Why have you come here?
Boy in white shirt - We came to celebrate our independence over here.
Boy in blue shirt - Ya!
Boy in white shirt - One year of our birthday and we are going to have more babies now.
Boy in white shirt - So let us enjoy our infant childhood right now without any sense and without any commitment and later on we will be the adult to lay the world and we'll be new.
Boy - Say it in hindi.
Reporter - Why have you come here?
Boy - We didn't have any idea. We just came for the fair and we came to know that there is a program going on and we wanted to get involved in this program. So we are watching from a long time and we are enjoying.
Boy - We also wanted to enjoy but we are getting a lot of weird feeling.
Reporter - So what do you think about this? This is your first time here?
Boy - Ya first time.
Lady - So what do you think about this?
Reporter - I just wanted to.... well I got a message yesterday asking what do you want to do for them?
Boy - So what ever is planned like sorry.... they are called gay..... So what ever is planned should be done. It is right and we are always for it and we will be with them for life.
Reporter - So you are all for its support.
Boy - Yes we are for the support. Always.
Reporter - So do you know about 377?
Boy - No idea. Sorry.
Reporter - Did you get any idea after coming here?
Boy - No we just were here for half hour at the back.
Reporter - Just to clap.
Boy - Yes.
Reporter - Last year on 2nd July LGBT got legalized. Today one year is completed. Always remember it.
Boy - Ok. Best of luck. Bye.
Reporter - Ya!
Boy - We need freedom and that is enough. We need freedom! So that is why clap.
Boy - Because whatever is my community, this came again so that is why I am feeling so good.
Reporter - How much happiness are you feeling?
Boy - I can't believe that.
Reporter - Anything. Its for a document.
Boy - So you going to ask questions or something?
Reporter - Just basic. What do you know about 377 and why are you here?
Boy - I am here because I am not gay, I am straight but I really feel that if 2 people want to be with each other nothing in this world should come in the way of that.
Boy - If 2 people want to be with each other why.... country or laws so something. Its not good like that.
Girl in white top - Its have been in India for so long yaar, its just like these acts just keep coming and going out...
Reporter- Do you think we are there yet? Do you think we are...
Girl in white top - We are getting there. Ya we are getting there.
Boy - 10 Years back we couldn't even have a gathering like this because some political people would come in the way of this but its very good its come till here and its a good thing.
Reporter - So overall how was this event? How did you feel?
Girl in black shirt - It could have been bigger. It could have been more. More publicity. More people could have know about this. It was too quite.
Reporter - Let me be ten offices. Alright. Thank you.
Reporter - How do you feel coming here?
Boy in black shirt - We are feeling very good. Very nice we got the freedom after so many years and the environment is so good that we are enjoying over here.
Boy in black shirt - Along with that we have also got a lot of new friends, accepting family members and the biggest thing is that it is an environment which understands us.
Boy in Black shirt - So i feel we are come in a different world where we can share our feelings and also enjoy ourselves.
Reporter - Its been a year since the judgement so do you think there is any change in your life or in the society?
Boy in black shirt- I feel that there has been some change and the society has started to accept us like the way we are celebrating this program in the open today so from that only we understand that the society is starting to come with us slowly slowly.
Boy in black shirt- A lot of people consider this a joke or a comedy but we know that the society will also slowly slowly accept this like before we couldn't come out with such cloths but today we do come out with pride because today we have freedom.
Boy in black shirt - From this we can understand that people are starting to accept us.
Reporter - So do you feel that after putting the legal word a lot of change has taken place.
Boy in black shirt - Yes! After putting the legal word a lot has changed and in our life also a big change has taken place that slowly slowly we are heading towards empowerment and we have the strength to come in front of the society....
Boy in black shirt - ....like the traumatic situations that we used to go through or the harassment that we used to face that has started to reduce and what ever we do now we do it with pride.
Reporter - In one word how do you feel? Go on with some feeling express you happiness or do something with happiness.
Boy in black shirt - Like Freedom march Zindabad!
Reporter - Is this your family?
Boy in black shirt - This is the whole team. We are from an organization.
Reporter - Which organization?
Boy in black shirt - 'Prayasive Kosish' ( Continues struggle).
Reporter - So you are like a family?
Boy - Yes, a family.
Reporter - Thank you!
Lady - Ok Laxmi!
Laxmi - Shahi, Meti come here. Come here in the middle.
Reporter - Will you tell me something about 377.
Laxmi - What is this? Ehh! Ritu, Annu come here. Anju you come here in front of me. You move your lips and I will talk. That cousin is also a eunuch, will anyone say.
Laxmi - (Laughs) This is what is bitchiness about the community. I love that. We can be as much sophisticated but at the end of the day we are same. There is no sun, you can show your eyes.
Reporter - So Laxmi, Saloni go.
Saloni - Basic question like its been one year since 377. How do you feel?
Saloni - Tananan! start.
Laxmi - Do you think we have won? This was only a verdict of the Delhi High Court. In the Supreme Court one........
Laxmi - Do you think we have won? Against one verdict of the Delhi High Court of section 377, against that there are 19 appeals in the Supreme Court and in that 19 appeals, on the name of religion, some Baba is there who teaches yoga who calls himself a religious teacher.
Laxmi - And is a Bramachari, they all have started saying one after the other things against us. Now what he does in his bedroom he doesn't say but what we do and how we are, we live like that in the society.
Laxmi - He is living in ................................... We are what we are. So today our fight is even more resolute. Before there were a lot of problems.
Laxmi - One verdict is come, a good verdict. Today we enjoyed it, on 2nd July we had a lot of fun here in Azad Maidan.
Laxmi - Azad maidan, but there are a lot of things left to be done. We require to do a lot and this is only the start. One big world war happened like that to get our rights we have had to fight.
Reporter - So this is nothing less than a Mahabarath?
Laxmi - Oh not at all. Here you will find that everyone is a Srikandi and we will only win don't worry.
Reporter - Victory is ours.
Laxmi - Love you, victory.
Reporter - Thank you.
Mother - Once I was just sitting thinking that this kid doesn't get any respect, what do I do? Where should I take him? Which god's house should I take him to? I used to feel like killing myself.
Mother - But still I didn't. Once our teacher came and asked me ' Why are you crying? What happened? '
Mother - I said like this has happened to my son. No one gives him any respect or work. Even to send him to school, I some how managed to educate him.
Mother - But still no one gives him a job. So then he informed me that there is an organization where you should go and join. So then I joined in that and then there slowly slowly they told me what to do, what not to do?
Mother - So then the showed me a good path and then he was working also but from the 1st it has stopped. They stopped his work. Why did they stop? I will go and ask them.
Mother - So that is why in the community, every kid, every daughter, every women and every old person should get a proper place in the community. This is my request that in all places they should get respect.
Mother - This is my wish and this is only my request and now listen to what my teacher has to say.
Reporter - Thank you auntyji.
Mother - Should I go?
Reporter - Do you want to go?
Mother - No, should I leave?
Reporter - How old are you?
Lady in yellow - 75.
Reporter - 77?
Mother - 77.
Reporter - Can you please tell me your name?
Mother - My name is Revati Eshwan Kandesa.
Reporter - Ok and can we talk to your teacher now?
Mother - Yes.
Reporter - What did you tell auntyji that her mind changed so much and she became so accepting?
Teacher - Actually first of all the organization which we had started 'Prayasik Koshish', that is mainly for dignity, justice, equality and empowerment in the society.
Teacher - So we told her that the biggest thing is that he is a human being and if you look at anyone as a human then defiantly you will be able to see about their rights.
Teacher - Along with that whatever we have we should learn to be happy in that and whatever we have we can value it. If it is a diamond or a stone we have to value it. And as we say that the more you polish a diamond the more it glows.
Teacher - The same way with humans, the more you work on ones life the more that persons life will turn (transform/better).
Teacher - So we explained auntyji all this and along with that whatever we have we should be proud of it because we are all humans and she accepted this which was a big thing for us.
Teacher - And in her life and in her son's life there is a big change which we can see, so......
Mother - We got happiness, a lot of happiness.
Reporter - And for you, you tell us.
Son - I have no complains against god because I got such a lovely mother.
Man - Tell no.
Son - For me she is ... Mom is everything for me. In this society mom supports me a lot. If anyone every say anything to me then mom comes in the front and fights with them.
Son - And doesn't allow us to say anything.Thank you.
Reporter - Thank you.
Mother - Thank you.
Mother - In what will this come? In the magazine?
Reporter - This is for Italy.
Son - This will not be shown here it will be shown there.
Lady in yellow - Can you email it?
Reporter - This video I don't know because they will have it there but we can email the photos.
Lady in yellow - Email address is given.
Lady in yellow - What you are doing, if you need anything from us then we can send it to you.
Mother - Please send it.
Reporter - This one right?
Lady in yellow - Yes this one.
Reporter - Ashish Shigwa?
Mother - Yes.
Reporter - We will send it on this. Ok. Thank you.
Mother - Thank you.
Mother - Thank you! Thank you madam! God bless you.
Reporter - Then why have you come here today?
Man - We are here to celebrate 365 days of our independence.
Reporter - And why have you come here and why is this day important to you?
Man - It is important because its been a year for the petition which we had kept in the supreme court in-spite of our independence.
Man - In-spite of India being free, for humanity, the gay lesbian of our society are not free.
Man - Because we are not getting equality and for that freedom which petition we have put for that one year is becoming and we are celebrating that and ?...............we hope that the entire nation of India give us our freedom of equal rights...................? Thank you very much.
Mother - If you remove this then it will look good. If you look like a ghost then the ghosts will follow me.
Reporter - Why have you come here today and why is this day important to you?
Eunuch - We have come here today because today we want freedom.
Reporter - Why is it important to you?
Mother - This is their right, they should get respect in the society and no one gives them a job. People like us still get jobs, now also I work. They don't get jobs and what is the reason? This is the reason.
Mother - So remove this from your heart and give them full respect and give them their rightful place. This is our only request nothing else. My son should get proper status in the society.
Son - This is my mother. This is my mother. Yaa!
Mother - My son should get the same status as the other people or other boys like that my son should also get.
Mother - We did not do any crime by giving birth to them. The god above has given. God has given, we haven't done anything.But still his........... my .................... Something must be there in that.
Mother - That is why in my womb such a thing happened. So we haven't done anything wrong in that. We can't do anything wrong. But if god has given and I have accepted it. I am his mother so I accept my son.
Mother - But the normal public doesn't accept. That status mu son should get. This is my only request and pledge.
Reporter - What is your name?
Mother -My name is Revati Eshwan Kandesa.
Reporter - And his name?
Son - Sonu.
Mother - Sonu.
Reporter - Ok. Thank you.
Mother - Thanks a lot.
Mother - And I am 77 years but still I am young.
Mother - Its right, we have given birth that we accept. No we accept it. What god has given us we accept I don't say anything wrong.
Man - Mother, there is nothing in anyone's birth. Everyone's path is different.
Mother - He is different only.
Man - Let it be, its his fate.
Mother - Let it be his fate, we have accepted but you people should accept him. You also accept him. Give my son the same respect as the rest of the people get.
Man - He should get.
Mother - My other son also gets like that only he also should get. This is our only request.
Man - Will get, will get, will get.
Mother - I don't have any other request. This is all I have to say and beyond this I will stop my speech.
Reporter - And she is your mother?
Mother - No.
Man - My grandmother.
Reporter - Grandmother.
Srini - Don't ask me for my bag.
Reporter - Why are you......
Srini - Why am I wearing this bag?
Reporter - Why are you here today?
Srini - Why are we here today? We are celebrating probably what everyone is calling the independence day for gays. We are celebrating somebody which...... somebody called Mr. Shah. who was .......... I don't know he spoke...
Srini - One of the most magical words that can be written in the gay history of India which has brought out nothing but the true essence of being Indian that is the right to equality and mutual respect and he has gone back to something which are constitutional rights...
Srini - Which are framed the basis of our country. I am getting goose bums as I am saying this but I think every time somebody reads those lines of the judgement, there is nothing but tears welling in the eyes.
Srini - There is just happiness, there is just a feeling of I am a human being. I am an individual and I have every right to live here not because somebody doesn't know about me.
Srini - Not because somebody considers me to be different, but because I am just as everybody else is.
Srini - It doesn't matter if people out there know who I am as an LGBTI guy whatever, It doesn't matter, it matters only if they respect me as a human regardless of what I do in bed.
Reporter - Queer Azadi Zindabad! Queer Azadi Zindabad!
Reporter - Have things changed in the last decade?
Lady - In the last decade? Yes. Things have changed and I don't think ten years ago we would have seen a celebration like this.
Lady - I think for so many people today out here just, whether with mask or without was not such an easy proposition.
Lady - There were some of us on the streets and fighting but you know that was just a small group of people but this is large and big and it is important that it is people from all walks of life.
Lady - Not just people who are parts of groups but also individuals, people working in lots of things also people took a leave from their offices and were here so I think it was quite incredible.
Lady - And what you find here is... what is also incredible is that you have the diversity of people from you know a diversity of genders, class, caste, you know all of that which is also important.
Reporter - And what does it mean for women, straight, gay, bisexual, queer, something like this to have happened in terms of us opening up to other sexuality and being more spoken about......
Lady - I think it is always important to have more and more space and any space to talk about sexuality is important for all women not just queer women but is also specially important for queer women.
Lady - Because this is the sexuality which is most invisible and the kind of pressure to marry on young women is the highest and so you know it is important for all individual people fighting their own battles in their families or within themselves or people around them so ya. Thanks.
Reporter - Sorry just one last question.
Lady - Sure.
Reporter - Do you think the...... ehh! So just touching upon like Indian morality............... you know more of these issues, can something like this open more space to......................... things like this. I mean obviously they still exist................
Lady - See you know the thing is that while the space for protest increases, while the conversation in media increases and while support also increases, what the reality is that also, there are more aggressive movements also happening..........
Lady - ..... More conservative people also growing and their voices are also growing, fundamentalism of all sorts are also growing so there is a huge number of people and people in power of different kinds and from fundamentalist groups.......
Lady - across the board who are talking more and more of moral policing and its creeping in
in all forms so whether we talk about sexuality education being sort of stopped in certain states in the country.
Lady - So there is a lot of that and so what this does is sort of broadens the platform of people fighting against the moral police. So that is what it does.
Reporter - So it come a long way.
Lady - But there is a long way to go. Ya. Thanks so much. Ok and you'll give me
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