Syeda Hameed's Verdict, Delhi Panchayat, Resisting Stigma and Homophobia
Director: Jeevanandhan Rajendran
Duration: 00:05:34; Aspect Ratio: 1.333:1; Hue: 19.009; Saturation: 0.360; Lightness: 0.273; Volume: 0.092; Words per Minute: 140.255
Summary: People’s Panchayats on Resisting Stigma and Homophobia; Action Plus - a Coalition for Rights, Education and Care in HIV and AIDS. Syeda Hameed, a member of the Planning Commission and of the Delhi Panchayat's jury, responds to the depositions heard. She talks about some of the ways in which the state can be involved in reducing the stigma experienced by sexual minorities. Ms. Hameed also explores some of the ties between Islamic religious and literary tradition, and queer culture
Syeda Hameed: I would like to say something in Hindi. Right now we have heard few testimonies from some people and I would like to say two things because I am a member of the planning commission so I would like that to the government I would like to say two things, one I would like to say which right now Ashok has said that when this talk came near the Lok Sabha committee then he said sex education should not be in schools so across party lines this was said. I mean when the mind set is so behind then how much effort we need to do to change this because I am saying near you because this is a closed meeting so I want to say it to you that when we drafted the eleventh plan we tried to introduce protection, state protection for sexual minorities in the plan. In the social justice empowerment and in women and in children which we call women's agency and child rights, what two chapters we have written on social justice of empowerment and for the women and kids we have tried that in that we have put this for sexual minority what kind of protection must be there in the state but ultimately when the draft came, this topic was not there. So on the governments platform the effort has to be more and more and on the school till we do not bring sex education, then according to me to this is very difficult because I will speak in literature terms and Salim is also sitting, he is also a literature expert. I see this that Premadass said something about what are the images, what kind of images we have? In Persian literature, in so much of central Asian literature, same sex, love is something we see in pictures, in photographs, in poetry. Of course it is always between men. Only this month for the first time Lihaf, she spoke about, I mean maybe there was someone before but I am not aware of it. So that already exists, so it is very strange.
Delhi
People's Panchayats on Resisting Stigma and Homophobia; Action Plus - a Coalition for Rights, Education and Care in HIV and AIDS. Syeda Hameed, a member of the Planning Commission and of the Delhi Panchayat's jury, responds to the depositions heard. She talks about some of the ways in which the state can be involved in reducing the stigma experienced by sexual minorities. Ms. Hameed also explores some of the ties between Islamic religious and literary tradition, and queer culture
action plus
central asia
delhi;syeda hameed
government
islam
ismat chughtai
koran
literature
people's panchayats on resisting stigma and homophobia
persia
planning commission
Delhi, India
In some places in south Asia and in central Asia about this topic there is a deep understanding and where Islamic groups are there, there is a lot of understanding and a Kuran proverb is said that this thing that is there, it is prohibited, It is against the injunctions and so on. Personally I am a believer but I have very great difficulty in understanding this and trying to understand the story of Lot. It is very difficult for me to understand, it is in the Khuran, it is in th Bible. It is everywhere but on the other hand there is so much literature in all forms it is there pictorially, poetry, in pros, in literature all over the place. In our society this is a complete dichotomy which we have to somehow process it in our mind. But on a practical a level I feel, we must find within government. We must find places and windows where we must try to make the effort. For example I would say that in my ten year or office or five years. I found that somewhere I could find little spots of understanding in which I tried to introduce a different attitude toward sexuality but I think it was very preliminary and even sex worked for example. It was very difficult to do it but I think we still moved a little bit from this position in which we were, when I got started. So I think that effort has to be there and on a personal level like the doctor said how one can actually explain and bring family and make their understanding strong because in our generation when blocks come then the older generation that is there which have strict mind sets but in that there is a lot of difference, every one is not the same, the understanding, some older generation have an amazing amount of understanding so I feel that today what depositions have happened, I was there in the previous 2004 and this kind of panchayat was there, in that all these talks were there and things have not really changed that much but still I find that little and some positive experiences have been related by people who have deposed which I didn't find in the last. It was a very bleak picture in 2004 and this is 2009 so I think I have just expressed some of my views from the top of my head and then we will come back and maybe we will have a consesus with all.the panchers. Thank you.
action plus
central asia
delhi;syeda hameed
government
islam
ismat chughtai
koran
literature
people's panchayats on resisting stigma and homophobia
persia
planning commission
Delhi
People's Panchayats on Resisting Stigma and Homophobia; Action Plus - a Coalition for Rights, Education and Care in HIV and AIDS. Syeda Hameed, a member of the Planning Commission and of the Delhi Panchayat's jury, responds to the depositions heard. She talks about some of the ways in which the state can be involved in reducing the stigma experienced by sexual minorities. Ms. Hameed also explores some of the ties between Islamic religious and literary tradition, and queer culture
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