Resisting Stigma and Homophobia: Discussion, Pune Panchayat
Director: Jeevanandhan Rajendran
Duration: 00:09:50; Aspect Ratio: 1.333:1; Hue: 273.706; Saturation: 0.020; Lightness: 0.444; Volume: 0.196; Cuts per Minute: 1.524; Words per Minute: 60.573
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’.
This video documents the discussion that follows the Panch's proceedings, which covers a variety of topics and devotes a considerable amount of time to the question of “choice” in homosexuality. An audience member also poses a question to Ketaki Ranade about the lack of visibility of lesbianism on the social front.
People's Panchayats on Resisting Stigma and Homophobia; Action Plus - a Coalition for Rights, Education and Care in HIV and AIDS. The discussion that follows the Panch's proceedings covers a variety of topics, specifically devoting a considerable amount of time to exploring the question of "choice" in homosexuality. An audience member also poses a question to Ketaki Ranade about the lack of visibility of lesbianism on the social front.
Pune
Q: Today we are still talking in terms of choices of sexuality. I am a born homosexual; nobody will choose to be that. Choices we make are about the way we choose live after we recognize that.
Ashok: Yes, nobody chooses to be a homosexual. But it is not understood, so all the phraseology in psychiatry is not there in Indian psychiatry.
action plus
choice
homosexuality
humsafar
lesbian
marginalization
nature
nurture
people's panchayats on resisting stigma and homophobia
psychiatry
psychology
pune
sexuality
visibility
women
Pune, India
Meena: for me, this is an interesting issue. I know a number of women who were living a heterosexual life but later found out that women are sexually more interesting for them. So it is too complex to decide whether it is natural or not. So debating only in terms of choice and nature is a bit scary.
People's Panchayats on Resisting Stigma and Homophobia; Action Plus - a Coalition for Rights, Education and Care in HIV and AIDS. The discussion that follows the Panch's proceedings covers a variety of topics, specifically devoting a considerable amount of time to exploring the question of "choice" in homosexuality. An audience member also poses a question to Ketaki Ranade about the lack of visibility of lesbianism on the social front.
Pune
action plus
choice
homosexuality
humsafar
lesbian
marginalization
nature
nurture
people's panchayats on resisting stigma and homophobia
psychiatry
psychology
pune
sexuality
visibility
women
Ashok: I am not challenging you, but to explain this issue to the mainstream or the society, one has to say that we don't have the choice. For me, a homosexual, I had to go through so much pain, shock treatment and all of that, I wonder now that if I had children, I may not have wanted them to be homosexuals, society is torturing you so much. But we don't have a choice. There was a municipal officer who came to us at the age of eighty. He did not leave till very late in the night. So I told him who could come tomorrow. But he said, if he had known this place forty years ago, I wouldn't have got married. So suddenly he finds himself alienated.
People's Panchayats on Resisting Stigma and Homophobia; Action Plus - a Coalition for Rights, Education and Care in HIV and AIDS. The discussion that follows the Panch's proceedings covers a variety of topics, specifically devoting a considerable amount of time to exploring the question of "choice" in homosexuality. An audience member also poses a question to Ketaki Ranade about the lack of visibility of lesbianism on the social front.
Pune
action plus
choice
homosexuality
humsafar
lesbian
marginalization
nature
nurture
people's panchayats on resisting stigma and homophobia
psychiatry
psychology
pune
sexuality
visibility
women
People's Panchayats on Resisting Stigma and Homophobia; Action Plus - a Coalition for Rights, Education and Care in HIV and AIDS. The discussion that follows the Panch's proceedings covers a variety of topics, specifically devoting a considerable amount of time to exploring the question of "choice" in homosexuality. An audience member also poses a question to Ketaki Ranade about the lack of visibility of lesbianism on the social front.
Pune
Q: I am a 46 year old man; I have a daughter and a son. At this age I have figured out that I am a homosexual.
A: Humsafar has a largest record of counseling. There is one category which has people very clear about their sexual orientation. And the other category has people who are well into their married life and they suddenly realize they don't belong there. We don't know what we can tell them. Because in our society, one can't leave the wife and sons/daughters for their newly discovered sexual choices.
Audience Member: For god's sake, why do we have this debate over whether it is natural or not natural. Do we look like we are from a different planet? I am a part of the nature.
action plus
choice
homosexuality
humsafar
lesbian
marginalization
nature
nurture
people's panchayats on resisting stigma and homophobia
psychiatry
psychology
pune
sexuality
visibility
women
action plus
choice
homosexuality
humsafar
lesbian
marginalization
nature
nurture
people's panchayats on resisting stigma and homophobia
psychiatry
psychology
pune
sexuality
visibility
women
People's Panchayats on Resisting Stigma and Homophobia; Action Plus - a Coalition for Rights, Education and Care in HIV and AIDS. The discussion that follows the Panch's proceedings covers a variety of topics, specifically devoting a considerable amount of time to exploring the question of "choice" in homosexuality. An audience member also poses a question to Ketaki Ranade about the lack of visibility of lesbianism on the social front.
Pune
Q: we have not yet touched one important topic in this discussion. What about homosexuality among women?
Ketaki: Will ever a homosexual or bisexual woman come and speak on this stage? For lesbians in Pune, they have to go to Mumbai for counseling. There was a case of a lesbian couple who had to run away since a marriage of one of them was being decided. And through this case it became clear that there is a lack of a structural support in Pune. Then there is an organization in Mumbai which helped us. So there is invisibility as a woman and in addition to hat as a lesbian within various systems – in family etc.
There is marginalization on the basis of sexuality, mental health – being a woman, being depressed and being a lesbian are three levels of marginalization. We were having a discussion about whether any woman will be able to come and talk in a forum like this. We thought of our friends, or anyone talking from behind the curtains etc- but that would have been too dramatic. But the question is about any visible support systems for them, and if a woman had been here to talk them I am sure she will have various things to talk about like family violence, lack of support etc.
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