QAM 2010 - 1
Duration: 00:16:26; Aspect Ratio: 1.785:1; Hue: 3.592; Saturation: 0.077; Lightness: 0.347; Volume: 0.381; Cuts per Minute: 43.678; Words per Minute: 90.640
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.
Laxmi - We have to be united forgetting our differences because today there is INFOSEM, ABCOM, Asia Pacific Trans gender is there.HAMSAFAR.........
Chowpatty
Mumbai
- The Laborer's Union of Mumbai is with you in this struggle that is why in front of you we are giving the Trade Union Solidarity Committee's message.........
- This Unfortunately has resulted in bisexuals being unable to identify each other in communities. Hence resulting in the feeling of isolation and the belief that we bisexualls do not exist.
- Which ofcourse since I am here in front of you is not true.
- I encourage you to speak up when someone gay watches a bisexual and calls them a gay man or lesbian because we are not. There is no shame in being a homosexual.
- But the truth is that we are bisexual and why should we lie about it. Make some noise because silence kills.
- A queer bisexual will be regarded as being straight or gay. I encourage bisexual people to come out to the maximum extent that you can as long as it is safe.
- Even though we are aware of who we really are and we are proud of it we must be aware that as bisexuals we can sometimes have privileges that have been denied to the other members of our community.
- People whom we call family.
- This is why we must be careful in the decisions that we make and how we life our life. We must not feel guilty of about being who we are but we must act responsible.
- Today I stand here before you to advocate the liberation of laws.
- Nothing can be understood.
- I can't speak in hindi.
- Now please talk in hindi.
- The people who are standing here should understand what you are saying. There are so many people here who don't understand English so what do they do?......
- I agree. I agree.
Lady 1 - Lets clap for all the transgenders.
Shalini - Lets clap for all the gays.
Lady 1 - Lets clap for all the bisexual people.
Shalini - Lets clap for all the eunuchs.
Lady 1 - Lets clap for all inter-sex people.
Shalini - Lets clap for all the gender queers.
Lady 1 - Lets clap for all the queers.
Shalini - Lets clap for all the straight supporter friends.
Lady 1 - Lets clap for the families who support us.
Shalini - 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 believes in justice.
Shalini - Lets clap for each and every person who is come here.
Lady 1 - Lets clap for the support. Lets clap for love and strength.
Shalini - Lets clap for all those people today who couldn't come here today.
Shalini - Those friends who even though they wanted to couldn't come, lets clap for them also.
Shalini - 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.
Shalini - 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.
Shalini - 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.
Shalini - And let us clap in solidarity. Let us clap in solidarity for those who believe in freedom.
Shalini - 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.
Shalini - Let us clap hard.
- (Crowds clapping).
Shalini - 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.
Shalini - Finally......
- 377 was a law which criminalized 2 consenting adults having cardinal intercourse against the order of nature.
- Now it is very funny if you go to see because you really can't define what is against the order of nature and this was a stupid law and ...... Which was got in by the Britishers
- And happy realization, we have currently, we have laid down the law and now the high court ruling is that if there are 2 consenting adults.
- Adults! who are doing something, who are having sex in the confines of their bedroom or private, its their business and not our business.
- So it a very positive step, though they are just stating the obvious. Its a very positive step because what has happened now is that the police can concentrate on real issues.
- There is a lot of corruption that happens there is a lot of rape that happens.
- There is child sexual abuse that is happening so lot of these issues that the police can concentrate on rather than running behind 2 guys who are having sex in their bedroom.
Reporter - And how is this also kind of a big deal as people are kind of speaking about this. There is a lot of media here and you know.....
- Well, I personally feel that the media has been quite supportive.
- Suddenly.....This happened on 2nd of July 2009 and on the 3rd of July every news paper could be called the pink paper because every newspaper had some gay article or the other.
- And suddenly, we used to get featured in page 9 or page 10, we were the front news. We were the headlines. So it was suddenly an issue which could not be hushed under the carpet.
- So suddenly people have started speaking about it. People started speaking about it on dinner tables.
- You know, my parents, my father would never speak about homosexuality actually saw the paper and was like 'Oh! These guys have gotten so progressive'.
- So things like that have happened. Its a very positive change. Yes with this also homophobia would increase.
- You know, because if there is someone who is against it, then they would also come out and say that we are against it.
- But what is important is that there is a lot of awareness. You know, there is a lot of awareness. People have started speaking about this issue which is a very positive thing.
Reporter - Can you also may be talk about how the role of women and the liberalness and the liberation of women has kind of changed.
- Ideally section 377 doesn't criminalize lesbianism.
- Ok, but because there is no penetrative sex over there though there is....though one might argue sex against the order of nature could be interpreted in thousand different ways.
- It was so ambiguous. But after this I have seen a lot of people like a lot of people coming out and speaking about their sexuality.
- Ok, which was previously one dormant thing no one even spoke about. You know, sex was something. Sex by itself was so tabooed and sexuality was a very far fetched thing.
- Now people have started speaking about it. Women have started speaking about it, Ok.
- Lesbianism, like I know a lot of my friends who would not make a big deal if a lesbian made a pass at them.
- You know, so they have become more open about these issues. Lesbianism is.....not that people have suddenly become gay and lesbian, its just that they were quite dormant, they were silent.
- There were a lot of these suicides which used to happen. Ok, so, and always the suicide... the issue would be either..... either that the guy has had a break off or the girl has had a break off.
- Now the real issues have started emerging and people have stared speaking about it and its a very positive step.
Reporter - Alright.
- Alright. Thank you.
Laxmi - 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.
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