Resisting Stigma and Homophobia: Ketaki Ranade's Expert Deposition, Pune Panchayat
Director: Jeevanandhan Rajendran
Duration: 00:11:17; Aspect Ratio: 1.333:1; Hue: 334.754; Saturation: 0.037; Lightness: 0.381; Volume: 0.232; Cuts per Minute: 0.532; Words per Minute: 60.769
Summary: Action Plus, a network of 14 organisations working on HIV/AIDS in India, conducted a series of People’s Panchayats in 2009, which sought to understand people's battles against Stigma and Homophobia through the voices of survivors and resistors. The Panchayats sought to address the devaluation of livelihoods and life systems of entire communities of people who practice alternate sexualities, and the erosion of rights or dignity.
This series of People’s Panchayats was held in five cities in India. The first one was in Bangalore on January 28, 2009, the second in Hyderabad on February 6, 2009, the third in Chennai on March 21, 2009 and the fourth on April 11, 2009 in Pune. The fifth and final one was held in New Delhi on April 24, 2009.
Each of the Panchayats followed a similar structure. The interactive meetings were structured to have affected members from sexual minority communities share their personal experiences of living with stigma and homophobia. These were the deposers. Then the two-member expert panel shared their thoughts and ideas based on their experience in the field. The audience comprising of the general public, NGOs, media, opinion leaders and religious communities made their queries and comments at the end of the deposition. There was a brief audience interaction following which the jury or the panch gave its ‘verdict’.
Ketaki Ranade, a researcher with Bapu Trust and one of the Expert testifiers at the Pune Panchayat, shares her response to the depositions heard. She first takes some time to fully explore the notion of homophobia, before sharing some of the conclusions from her research on homosexuality in India. Ms. Ranade also speaks at length about some of the methods used to convert homosexual people to heterosexuality.
I will first talk about Homophobia. There have been certain discussions on this topic abroad. Especially those working in the field of psychology have an objection to the term 'homophobia itself'. According to them, 'Phobia' means a fear of irrational things. (Phobia) is a type of mental illness. According to them there is a fundamental difference in Homophobia and Phobia. Phobia is an irrational fear. E.g. people are scared of an elevator, height etc. In this case, that person knows that s/he has an irrational fear. Also that person is at disadvantage. This is the nature of phobia. In such a situation a person requires a treatment for it. Homophobia as a concept does not fit in any of these types. The nature of homophobia is 'systemic' or 'structural'. It is related to power in societal structure. So (homophobia) is a strong belief system. We see it operating within various systems – in law, in family, in education, science/medicine etc. So homophobia is a belief system in which heterosexuality is of higher order and homosexuality is of lower order.
People's Panchayats on Resisting Stigma and Homophobia; Action Plus - a Coalition for Rights, Education and Care in HIV and AIDS. Ketaki Ranade, a researcher with Bapu Trust and one of the Expert testifiers at the Pune Panchayat, shares her response to the depositions heard. She first takes some time to fully explore the notion of homophobia, before sharing some of the conclusions from her research on homosexuality in India. Ms. Ranade also speaks at length about some of the methods used to convert homosexual people to heterosexuality.
Pune
action plus
conversion
depression
fear
heterosexuality
homophobia
ketaki ranade
people's panchayats on resisting stigma and homophobia
phobia
psychology
pune
research
Pune, India
I will talk about two points on the basis of what I know from my research and what we have heard now. The basic idea behind my study was to understand how a homosexual grows up among heterosexuals. Today also when we heard the testimonies, they spoke about their experiences as adolescents. It is the time when you start realizing that you are different from what you see around you, in family, in close relations, friends, cinema – Raj and Simran etc. So it is very common that you feel you are different at an early age. A feeling very closely linked to the feeling of being different fro the rest is the feeling of loneliness. Someone told us sometime ago that it obstructs the growth. The point is nobody becomes a gay/homosexual at a particular age. All of us are working in different capacities, as teachers/counselors etc. Anywhere when we are working with adolescents, and if we intend to work on homophobia, we should make space for anything that is different from what is accepted as right. Anytime if you can avoid harassment or disgust about feeling of being different, then that will be a positive thing to happen. We have various groups, child rights, sex education and then LGBT, so among these groups are we talking about this issue? When we are dealing with child rights, are we talking about gender and sexual orientation? These cross linkages are very important.
People's Panchayats on Resisting Stigma and Homophobia; Action Plus - a Coalition for Rights, Education and Care in HIV and AIDS. Ketaki Ranade, a researcher with Bapu Trust and one of the Expert testifiers at the Pune Panchayat, shares her response to the depositions heard. She first takes some time to fully explore the notion of homophobia, before sharing some of the conclusions from her research on homosexuality in India. Ms. Ranade also speaks at length about some of the methods used to convert homosexual people to heterosexuality.
Pune
action plus
conversion
depression
fear
heterosexuality
homophobia
ketaki ranade
people's panchayats on resisting stigma and homophobia
phobia
psychology
pune
research
People's Panchayats on Resisting Stigma and Homophobia; Action Plus - a Coalition for Rights, Education and Care in HIV and AIDS. Ketaki Ranade, a researcher with Bapu Trust and one of the Expert testifiers at the Pune Panchayat, shares her response to the depositions heard. She first takes some time to fully explore the notion of homophobia, before sharing some of the conclusions from her research on homosexuality in India. Ms. Ranade also speaks at length about some of the methods used to convert homosexual people to heterosexuality.
Second point I that, in any minority group mental/psychological needs need to be given attention. Various studies it has been proved that among LGBT groups depression/stress related issues are very prominent. We tried to look at the facilities available for these needs of these people. We did interviews with about 40 doctors sexologists, psychologists in Maharashtra who help the LGB groups. The treatment given to them is mostly for curing purpose.
Pune
action plus
conversion
depression
fear
heterosexuality
homophobia
ketaki ranade
people's panchayats on resisting stigma and homophobia
phobia
psychology
pune
research
action plus
conversion
depression
fear
heterosexuality
homophobia
ketaki ranade
people's panchayats on resisting stigma and homophobia
phobia
psychology
pune
research
People's Panchayats on Resisting Stigma and Homophobia; Action Plus - a Coalition for Rights, Education and Care in HIV and AIDS. Ketaki Ranade, a researcher with Bapu Trust and one of the Expert testifiers at the Pune Panchayat, shares her response to the depositions heard. She first takes some time to fully explore the notion of homophobia, before sharing some of the conclusions from her research on homosexuality in India. Ms. Ranade also speaks at length about some of the methods used to convert homosexual people to heterosexuality.
'Conversion' treatment was being used by more than half the doctors. In the cities lie Mumbai and Pune. The basis of this treatment assumes that homosexuality is a mental illness, it occurs because of some negative incidents in life – earl sexual initiation/ child abuse etc. And it is a faulty mechanism. The other treatment is a shock treatment when a homosexual man is shown pictures of nude women and then men. And when the pictures of men are being shown, a shock is administered o his wrist. So that they get detracted from the men and attracted towards women. In another treatment, an injection is given into a man's penis so that his wife can conceive a baby. And so that he can continue to lead a double life and maintain his gay as well as heterosexual relationship. These are highly practiced techniques. I think it is very important to talk about it. These conversion treatments are used by a desperate people who are under tremendous pressure there is no thought of the future wife or the life of that person the only aim is to consummate the marriage etc.
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