We are lesbians and gays, bisexuals and transgenders, hijras and kothis,
female-to-male and male-to-female transgenders, jogappas and shivashaktis,
effeminate men and butch women, butch men and effeminate women, those who want
to be neither man nor woman, or sometimes, both, and people who dont’ want any
of these labels but feel suffocated by what is expected of them because of their
gender. Bangalore Pride is our opportunity to reject the invisibility of our
marginalisation, to rejoice that we are here and will always be here.
We have been deprived of our voices, our right to be ourselves, and even our
citizenship. Our chosen family connections are denied by the authorities who
privilege blood over choice. But we are not fighting a losing battle. Section
377 is, for the moment, no longer a threat. More lesbians, gays, kothis and
bisexuals are bravely coming out to their family, friends and colleagues every
day. A welfare board has been set up for hijras in Tamil Nadu and schemes for
pension, housing, and voter ID cards are being discussed. Many same sex couples
are now living a fulfilling life together. The media has been incredibly
supportive in our struggles. All this is a cause for celebration!
And for that celebration, we have PRIDE FESTIVALS, which are partly a
celebration: to rejoice in who we are, to tell the world of our existence, to
affirm our right to determine our lives, and to lend courage to millions more
who are too scared or intimidated to accept their own sexuality or gender
identity, let alone tell their family and friends. But beyond celebration, they
are also a protest: against oppression and discrimination from families, society
and the state; against the denial of our basic freedoms and rights every day;
against the expectation of uniformity of thought, expression and behavior.
Taking this opportunity to remember the fierce activism that has gotten us where
we are, as well as a chance to commemorate the lives that have been lost to
social injustice and hate, the Campaign for Sexual Minorities and Sex Workers
Rights (CSMR)* announces the 4th Annual Celebration of Queer Pride in Bangalore.
We want to be heard. Here are our demands, the things we are fighting for:
We hope the Supreme Court of India will uphold the landmark verdict of the Delhi
High Court in the Naz Foundation judgement of 2009 upholding the right to live
with dignity, privacy, and equality of LGBT people.
Implement the recommendations of the Dwarkanath Commission.
Society needs to be made more aware of, and ultimately accepting of the
diversity of people in this country, specially with regard to sexual orientation
and gender identity. Violence – by the family, the police, the state, or anyone
else, needs to be addressed by the law.
The medical and psychiatric establishment needs to learn to be more sensitive
to, and understand the issues of LGBT people and ego-distonic sex orientation
needs to be removed from ICD 9.
Schools and colleges need to have programmes addressing homophobia, transphobia,
and sexism, and open up spaces for discussion on safer sex practices and related
health issues.
The government needs to legally recognise female-to-male and male-to-female
transgender people and provide free SRS (Sex Reassignment Surgery) under proper
medical supervision, including counseling.
Access to state services and entitlements be made available without
discrimination to all Sexuality Minorities, and especially Hijras and Kothis and
other transgenders. These include ration cards, voter ID, driving license,
savings-credit facilities, insurance, housing, pension, old-age homes etc.
Transgenders are routinely denied access to education as well as employment. The
government, private companies and civil society need to implement schemes in
consultation with the communities in this regard.
The recent decision of Bangalore University to allow people to enroll in
Post-Graduate courses as Transgenders is laudable. However, this needs to be
extended to all levels of education.
Companies and other institutions need to adopt and implement diversity and
non-discrimination policies, with specific regard to gender identity and sexual
orientation.
The current laws on adoption, marriage, inheritance, etc need to change in order
to accommodate families formed by gay or lesbian couples or transgender people.
The government needs to immediately decriminalise sex-work.
All Sexuality minorities, and sex workers living with HIV, need to be provided
with free ART at all levels. There should also be no forceful HIV testing and
test results have to be kept confidential.
CSMR constitutes various NGOs and independent organizations working for sexual
minorities’ rights including: Sangama, Samara, Good As You, WHaQ!, Karnataka
Sexual Minorities Forum, Karnataka Sex Workers Union, LesBiT, Swabhava, Payana,
Mangalamukhi, Prakriti, and Alternative Law Forum.
Sunday, November 27th, 2011: PRIDE MARCH!
Assemble at 2 pm, Tulsi park (near Shantala Silk House and next to Majestic bus
stand), march (loud, strong, and visible) to Town Hall
www.bangalorepride.com
