by Siddharth Narrain
Karnataka Queer Habba:
This year, Bangalore has given Pride celebrations a distinct local flavour with a week-long celebration titled the Karnataka Queer Habba. It began with a bang with an innovative cricket match. Titled “Queering the Pitch”, the match saw teams from different LGBT organisations pitted against each other. A live and humorous commentary interspersed with messages about LGBT rights and safe sex practices, ensured that no one was bored even for a minute. The Sangama team emerged the undisputed winner and was handed a trophy designed with queer symbols.
The second event in the week was a dialogue between sexual minorities and Dalit groups, focusing on stigma and discrimination. The dialogue, attended by organisations working on these issues, looked at the manner which these groups are marginalised — their lack of access to education, the manner in which society views these groups and the origins of discrimination. One thought that came up was to look at the philosophy of B R Ambedkar — his focus on individual rights and strong support for personal freedoms — might give an insight into the manner in which one could view discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation.
The third event was the release of the Human Rights Watch Report titled This Alien Legacy: The Origins of ‘Sodomy’ Laws in British Colonialism. This report looks at the manner in which the British imported the definition of sodomy into penal statutes in a number of their colonies. The release of this report was followed by a seminar titled “Laws that Terrorise: Threats to Indian Democracy”. The speakers at this event drew the links between Section 377 of the IPC, and other laws that are used to harass, blackmail and sometimes arrest sexual minorities, and other draconian laws that are used to harass Muslim youth, sexworkers and drug users.
Next was the screening of One in Ten and Desert Hearts. Pirat Dykes is a group that screens films on lesbian themes every month. This was be followed by a dialogue on religion and sexuality where leaders from different religious faiths participated. After this, was an evening of performances.
The penultimate event scheduled for today (June 27) is a session of story telling,
organised by Maraa. This event is to share personal narratives and stories, to talk about issues related to sexual minority rights.
The Karnataka Queer Habba culminates with the Bengaluru Pride March tomorrow. If last year was anything to go by, there will be a riot of colourful umbrellas, hats, masks, flags, banners, T-shirts and posters, marking the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. Theatre personality and actress Arundhati Nag will speak at the Town Hall.
sid@altlawforum.org
Queer Manifesto
(List of demands for this year’s Queer Habba)
* Section 377 of the IPC, which criminalises homosexuality, should be amended to exclude all forms of sex between consenting adults from the definition of the offence.
* The state government should take steps to prevent police/goonda violence against sexual minorities and sex workers and should punish those who perpetrate offences against sexual minorities and sex workers.
* The state government should legally recognise female-to-male (FTMs) and male-to-female (MTFs) transgenders, and subsidise the cost of sex reassignment surgery. The state government should accord choice of gender/sex to people who have undergone counselling as a process of sex reassignment surgery, whether they are able to afford the surgery or not.
* The state and central governments should address the issue of violence against and forced marriage of lesbian women. They should also support them legally when they face violence and threats from their families.
* The state government should initiate special measures for the welfare of hijras and transsexuals (the most marginalized section of sexual minorities) such as for education, employment, savings-credit facilities, housing and skill development.
* Sexual minorities should get all social entitlements without any discrimination. This includes voter ID, ration card, passport, driving license, housing, education, employment, savings and credit facilities, insurance, old age pension and old age shelter homes.
* The state and central government should decriminalise sex work.
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