Resisting Stigma and Homophobia: Jury's Verdict, Pune Panchayat (Jeevanandhan Rajendran)

Resisting Stigma and Homophobia: Jury's Verdict, Pune Panchayat

Director: Jeevanandhan Rajendran

Duration: 00:08:37; Aspect Ratio: 1.333:1; Hue: 23.929; Saturation: 0.045; Lightness: 0.562; Volume: 0.163; Cuts per Minute: 0.579; Words per Minute: 41.242

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’.

The jury at the Pune Panchayat, comprised of Shamala Vanarase, Makrand Sathe, Sandesh Bhandare, Rohini Sahani, and Ashwini Giri. Here, it shares its verdict with the audience. Four of the five jurors share their individual thoughts on the depositions heard.

I want to suggest something. My research and what I heard today gave me some idea. I think public toilets is a major site of exploitation, so on the ladies toilets we should write Ladies and TG. Then a man or a woman will rightfully use it. And any child who asks the mother 'hat does TG mean?', the mother will have to explain something. That will open up the space a bit. And once a TG feels he/she can rightfully use the toilet. If a TG uses the toilet that I use, I will be quite happy.
People's Panchayats on Resisting Stigma and Homophobia; Action Plus - a Coalition for Rights, Education and Care in HIV and AIDS. The jury at the Pune Panchayat, comprised of Shamala Vanarase, Makrand Sathe, Sandesh Bhandare, Rohini Sahani, and Ashwini Giri, shares its verdict with the audience. Four of the five jurors share their individual thoughts on the depositions heard.
Pune
action plus
chomsky
christianity
democracy
exploitation
foucault
homosexuality
minority
people's panchayats on resisting stigma and homophobia
politics
pune
toilet
torture
transgender
Pune, India

People's Panchayats on Resisting Stigma and Homophobia; Action Plus - a Coalition for Rights, Education and Care in HIV and AIDS. The jury at the Pune Panchayat, comprised of Shamala Vanarase, Makrand Sathe, Sandesh Bhandare, Rohini Sahani, and Ashwini Giri, shares its verdict with the audience. Four of the five jurors share their individual thoughts on the depositions heard.
Pune
When my interactions with homosexuals increased, the new spaces opened up for me. I wet to Belgium, I spoke to homosexuals there and so on. Here the experimental theatre that is no more willing to do any experiments… I was working with a theatre group. So this exchange is necessary.
There is a debate about nature/nurture is continuing for many years. Recently there was a debate between Chomsky and Foucault. They were asked what the natural human being is like. What is his natural state? Chomsky spoke about a number of things. But Foucault said, he is not interested in this debate, Men invented their nature in different periods of time in various situations, there is a politics in all that. I am interested in that politics. Christianity decides the social system and accordingly the nature of man and so on… there is politics behind all this.
Another wrong perception we have is about the democracy. It is thought to be the system for the majority. It is actually meant to give voice to the minority. In all this chaos, there is school and other institutions, which operate. I had written an article about school. I had joined school a little earlier than the rest. And I was so desperate to have a beard because the whole school was considering me womanly. It was a torture. So an open discussion on homosexuality is not necessarily useful only to open the spaces for homosexuality but also to break the patriarchal norms in the society. That will open a new space for us.
action plus
chomsky
christianity
democracy
exploitation
foucault
homosexuality
minority
people's panchayats on resisting stigma and homophobia
politics
pune
toilet
torture
transgender

action plus
chomsky
christianity
democracy
exploitation
foucault
homosexuality
minority
people's panchayats on resisting stigma and homophobia
politics
pune
toilet
torture
transgender
People's Panchayats on Resisting Stigma and Homophobia; Action Plus - a Coalition for Rights, Education and Care in HIV and AIDS. The jury at the Pune Panchayat, comprised of Shamala Vanarase, Makrand Sathe, Sandesh Bhandare, Rohini Sahani, and Ashwini Giri, shares its verdict with the audience. Four of the five jurors share their individual thoughts on the depositions heard.
Pune

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