It is the 6th of September.
Don't know what it means? Continue reading. Know what it means? Also continue reading.
So Exactly 2 years back, on 6th of September 2018, The Supreme Court of India decriminalized consensual sex between consenting adults of the same gender- which was a punishable offense under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code.
This was considered a huge achievement for the LGBTQ+ community. We saw people celebrating on the streets, outside the court, in the confines of their homes- wherever they could, really. People dancing, singing, laughing, being themselves openly. It was heart touching. I got kind of teary eyed while watching it. The community has based itself on the ideas of "Love Wins" and "Love is Love." But has love really won?
Let us first understand that the right to have sex in the confines of one's bedroom (i.e/aka private space) with a consenting adult has been achieved/earned by the community after the tireless efforts of several activists, lawyers and common people. It is sad that something so basic was considered a crime, if done between consenting people of the same gender, and a privilege, if between consenting heterosexual people.
Now, has love really won? Consider the following:
wlw/mlm marriage is still not legally recognized in India. (It isn't illegal or a crime. It just isn't legally recognized).
wlw/mlm couples still can't legally adopt children. Of course, single parents can- but as a couple, no!
Conversion therapy is still legal in India. The Govt has done nothing to prevent/abolish it.
Queer people cannot serve in the military.
And most importantly, how could we, as a community, let phrases like "love is love" and "love wins" define us? There is so much more to us than that. We still need to fight for the abolition of draconian, unethical laws like the Transgender Persons Protection Act 2019 that erase their right to determine their own identity, forces them to get a certificate of being trans from the Govt and forces them to live with their parents, which could be very toxic and unsafe for trans kids, and more.
We need more provisions for housing, livelihood and educational facilities for the trans and intersex communities. We need the legal recognition of the non binary identity. We need more recognition and protection of intersex people. We need gender neutral toilets for everyone. We need a Govt that is responsive to the needs of the community!
And this is only the legal aspect. I can go on and on about the social aspect- Queerphobia in the Indian society. About the suicides of people belonging to the lgbtq+ community. About the hate we face. About people's ignorance, indifference and about people being unwilling to listen to us. Of course, some people can be incredibly kind and accepting, and that is always nice to see and appreciated.
So this 6th September, while we appreciate and celebrate what our activists and allies have achieved for us- what we have achieved for ourselves, let us also acknowledge that we have a long way to go, and some very serious matters to achieve. We must not forget that we have a lot more to achieve for our trans/non binary communities, and for ourselves. Happy 6th September! 🏳️🌈
