Jury's Collective Verdict, Chennai Panchayat, Resisting Stigma and Homophobia
Director: Jeevanandhan Rajendran
Duration: 00:06:20; Aspect Ratio: 1.333:1; Hue: 318.353; Saturation: 0.092; Lightness: 0.233; Volume: 0.179; Cuts per Minute: 1.419; Words per Minute: 139.260
Summary: People’s Panchayats on Resisting Stigma and Homophobia; Action Plus - a Coalition for Rights, Education and Care in HIV and AIDS. Ms. Miriam Samuel delivers the Chennai Panchayat jury's collective verdict. The verdict compares homosexuality to the issue of left-handedness, predicting that like the latter, public opinion of the former too will improve in the future. The verdict also takes into account the question of blame and culpability, ultimately sharing their judgement with the audience.
We need to thank the organizers for this opportunity that was given. Now we will all join together as one to give a judgment but when I speak of judgment where there is a crime then we can give judgment. In that when you see about crime, in which places crimes are there, saying like that what our judgment is is when we speak of crime definitely in the society, between homophobic people not only that, the place related to the society, it can be school, it can be family, it can be organizations. When you speak of crime, they are only the criminals. They are only the criminals. For the time being of the society for so many years this kind of people follow wrong methods, what deeds they should not do, those people year after year, time after time, we have oppressed those people. Their wrong ways we have followed, that is why when I say crime if you hear my judgment, what my judgment is the criminal is the society. When you say society who is it? Society is who? It is us only. You, me we all together are a society, we are the criminals. We without knowing for the time being we all join and we have done so many wrongs among this people. That is why when I say crime it is society, When you say society it is you, me, the people who are outside they are only society. Criminal society that is only our judgment, if that is not there okay this is only our judgment means in this stage we cannot leave, what we can do when they said, one we said one hundred years back left handedness, what is left in Tamil? Okay my action will speak Okay in this hand people who are eating and doing other things, the whole family what did they say, what you are doing is wrong, Change your hands, in this hand only you must eat. This is the dirty hand. So when you see in the family also it is okay, in our religion it is okay, in everything that you see left handedness is dirty, down, very dirty is left hand like that they will say. Now after 100 years if you see now in the family if a child is eating with his left hand food, from all of us no one will say it is dirty, what you are doing is wrong. If change has to come from the bottom definitely this is a slow change, in some days for the time being this change will come. In this changing course all of us should join together as one and in this society we must bring about a change because when we say crime and we leave the society then this change will not come.
Chennai
People's Panchayats on Resisting Stigma and Homophobia; Action Plus - a Coalition for Rights, Education and Care in HIV and AIDS. Ms. Miriam Samuel delivers the Chennai Panchayat jury's collective verdict. The verdict compares homosexuality to the issue of left-handedness, predicting that like the latter, public opinion of the former too will improve in the future. The verdict also takes into account the question of blame and culpability, ultimately sharing their judgement with the audience.
action plus
blame
evil
future
left-handed
people's panchayats on resisting stigma and homophobia
society
Chennai, India
Because of that the jury decision is, who the criminal we have said is but for this criminal there is one punishment. What is the punishment is this criminal should join as one with us. With each other let us walk hand in hand. We should join together and in this one topic if we need to bring change, we need to work together. This is very important so we cannot leave it just like that. Third if we need a change in this then we need role models like them. What they said, the way specialist says. We as a jury what we can see is courage, self-confidence, self worth. Yes one self worth, one respect, this we saw in you all. In this way in between everyone, the brothers who are present here and between everyone, we want to see this. We want to see self confidence. We want to see self worth, one self confidence, one courage, with this few deeds we want to see change taking place and I close with the words of Mahatma Gandhi "Let us be the change we want to see round us". For this we must join as one to bring about this change so let us work together. Thank you very much.
Anita Sumanth: There was just one quote that I wanted to share with you on this occasion. I thought it will be very appropriate for a conclusion. Shakuntala Devi a very famous mathematician has written a book in 1977 titled the world of homosexuals. There she writes about an interview with Shy White temple priest who had conducted the marriage of two women and when she interviews this gentleman she asks him, how can you justify this? to which he has a very beautiful reply, he says Mummy I too, Our Vedanto and scriptures, I have thoroughly read it. In that I find marriage is the union of spirits and the spirit is neither male nor female. So I think this is the thought that I would like to leave behind with you. When we are talking about the union of spirits, it is irrelevant as to one is a male or a female and as a lawyer one corollary is should add is that we should all work together to incorporate this in the legal system as well. So that the system wakes up and marches in time to the needs of today's world. Thank you.
action plus
blame
evil
future
left-handed
people's panchayats on resisting stigma and homophobia
society
Chennai
People's Panchayats on Resisting Stigma and Homophobia; Action Plus - a Coalition for Rights, Education and Care in HIV and AIDS. Ms. Miriam Samuel delivers the Chennai Panchayat jury's collective verdict. The verdict compares homosexuality to the issue of left-handedness, predicting that like the latter, public opinion of the former too will improve in the future. The verdict also takes into account the question of blame and culpability, ultimately sharing their judgement with the audience.
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