Not A 'Straight' Road Ahead
By Anushka Chavan
After rejecting last year's homosexual marriages bill, the government recently brought a special bill to compensate. Though this may seem a progressive step at first sight, it raises an important question: Is society moving with the law? Most Indians falsely believe that whenever law gets changed, social progress is automatically brought about. Societal attitudes must influence the judiciary for true change to come about.
Physical, sexual, and verbal abuse of transgender people happen on a daily basis. Many are disowned by their families upon coming out of closet. Many institutions have assigned departments for supporting the queer community, yet the hate speech lingering between colleagues is often overlooked.
When the system’s failure are pointed at, a serious issue is swept aside, changes are mentioned in bits.
Anish Gawande, one of the founders of Pink List India, says, "We're in this really strange position. We've had tremendous legal success with the 2018 Supreme Court judgment on 377. But simultaneously we saw the complete inability of our political class to debate queerness at a political level."
However, it is a continuous struggle even after legislation has been passed. "Most people are still struggling to come out due to society and those who have come out are struggling in their daily life due to society!" said Sonu (he/him), a member of the transgender community. "Men are homophobic, they consider GID (Gender Identity Dysmorphia) as a mental disorder even when they see people with different sexualities." he added.
Rit (they/them), one of the members of the transgender community, when asked about his opinion on the government said, "The government will continue to do the bare minimum for the queer community, offering small gestures that don’t really challenge their power or the societal norms they want to preserve."
It is an issue replete with colonial legacies where rapists and murderers were acceptable and the ones who loved a person of their own sex weren’t. In the coming days, India will have to address such latent biases if it sincerely hopes for a society in which all persons, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, can live with dignity and respect.