It takes a lot to be proud of the person you are. And a lot more if you belong to a community which happens to be shunned aside, marginalised, stigmatised, and intimidated.
Last Sunday, on the 28th of June, 2009, along with one of my friends, I stood up in support of one such community. A community which had it in them to be proud of themselves, despite being horribly trodden. And I have to say, it was quite a day…
This day witnessed the Bengaluru Queer Pride March ’09, a protest involving love and celebration, voicing out against the oppression dealt to the communities of humans who are gay, lesbian, eunuchs, or transexual.
On June 28th, 1969, the New York Police raided a pub called Stonewall Inn, in Greenwich Village, New York, which was a known gay hangout. After this a huge movement resulted in several queer uprisings. In 1970, on the same day, Gay Pride marches were held in New York and Los Angeles. Later, it spread around the globe, as a voice of protest of these marginalised communities…
It was beautiful.
***
My friend and I arrived at the venue where the march was supposed to start – National College Ground, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru. We were early. There were many media OB vans parked side by side. There were a few people. A few teenagers were sporting t-shirts which blared slogans. Two girls were painting faces, hands and hair for willing participants. Another girl was painting a multi-coloured heart on the back of a participant. A transexual named Akkai was giving out rainbow coloured bandanas, t-shirts, and flags.
There were more photographers than participants. Clicking away to glory. Way too much media noise. Interesting how everyone wanted a chip off the news cake ever since ‘sexual minorities’ became a hot discussion topic.
Hypocritic me squirmed. I was there with a camera as well. And the reason I was there was my camera. But with a completely different intent. I was there to capture the colours and feel, not higher TRPs. But the intent and function was soon pretty lost, as my friend and I were so carried away by the atmosphere that we joined in the march. We got our faces painted like many others.
As I clicked pictures, more people began to join the gathering. People belonging to the gay, lesbian, and transexual communities joined in. So did the Sex Workers Union, and other straight people.
The colours started flaring. The t-shirts and posters started glaring. The drums started blaring. And the march started.
Colourfully dressed marchicipants started dancing to the resounating beats of the drum. It was weirdly metaphorical. It seemed to send a message, beat by beat. As you trod on us, beat after beat, we shall dance and celebrate ourselves, beat after beat!
Cameras started clicking at a faster pace. Photographers found patches of high ground, from crooked gutters to parked buses, to capture what they thought would best say the story.
But the story couldn’t be told that easily, could it? Not of the targetted seemingly vengeful horrible treatment dealt out to ‘these’ people, because ‘they’ expressed a personal preference – of their sexual preference. They are treated with disgust, as if they are lesser humans. No, not humans. Homosexual? Oh my God, how could you be so ungodly?! Transexual? Those hijras who assault us for money?! And more…
(Why are they forced to assault you for money? Why are they forced into ‘undignified’ sex work? Why are they forced to run away from society?)
“A case is never booked. But the Police needlessly harass gay people and transgenders, basing their harasment on the IPC Section 377. The section is misused.” Says a lawyer from the Lawyers Collective, who took part in the march. Section 377 is a clause in the Indian Penal Code which criminalises ‘unnatural sexual behaviour’.
377. Unnatural offences: Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Explanation: Penetration is sufficient to constitute the carnal intercourse necessary to the offense described in this section.
So we protested. Against stigmatisation of sexual minorities. Against Section 377. We protested through celebration.
“If Section 377 goes, the Police won’t have any base to harass them.” Said the lawyer. It has to go. Its partly gone.
It is for the second time that the Queer Pride March is taking place in Karnataka. This time, small celebrations were held in Hubli and Dharwad as well. Not to mention the marches in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and amazingly, Chennai.
“Its a chance for us to express. Its a chance for people to understand.” Says Savitha, a transgender, as well as a sex-worker. It is indeed a chance. Another change for all those who have not yet understood. Another chance, another call for equality, from communities of harmless humans.
The march started. Flags waved. A huge rainbow coloured snake banner was floated on top of the many who fought to hold ends of it. Akkai and a few others zoomed forward in an autorikshaw, speaking through a loudspeaker in her calm and melodious voice. “Dear friends…” The voice sang, “Let us dance to the drum, let us be heard….” Soap bubbles were floated. Marchicipants adorned rainbow coloured masks, bandanas, t-shirts, tall hats, painted faces and bodies, and carried posters. And forward, we marched.
Through the roads, making ourselves heard, making the cause heard. People stared. People smiled. People laughed. A van full of seemingly ‘pious’ people got shocked. Cows joined in the march. Marchicipants danced. Screamed. Sang. Loved.
“1 2 3 4,/ Open up your closet doors!/ 5 6 7 8,/ Don’t assume your kids are straight!”
“I love you,/ you love me,/ homo-sexu-ality./ Everybody thinks we’re just good friends,/ but actu-ally we’re lesbians!”
“Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Isai,/ Hetro, Homo, bye bye!”
Many hurled these slogans at the rest of the world. Not pointing fingers. Not with an edge or sarcasm. But in joy, and with laughter. Celebrating the truths in these phrases.
Everyone was open. Nobody had anything to hide. Unbounded love flew from each and every one of us. Enveloping all of us, and the world around, in a liberated, beautiful, and comforting, amniotic sac. A place in the high realms which promised us sanity and comfort in the power of love, while the world around skepticised.
As the transexuals danced in the ‘promiscuous’ ways that they had made their own through decades of oppression, and as the beats from the drums reached an intoxicating high, I fell in love. In love with the love that they emitted. In love with nature. And in love with the naturality they had.
They were so natural. They were one with nature. No artificiality. No added character or content. No put ons. Just pure simple natural nature.
The march culminated in front of the Corporation. The rainbow flames were put up around, and the drums heightened to a final frenzy. The dancers jostled to the intoxicating beats. The steps or the flow did not matter. All that mattered was to celebrate. To celebrate the nature that we were. And as one energy, the crowd moved in different ways. And then, it was all over.
The event was over. But not what it had begun for me, for the communities, for Bangalore, and for the world. The messages had been sent. Many, we believe, received it. As we marched, a few of us bloggers took small breaks to ask and educate people around about the march. Most of them, no – everyone we asked, said that homosexuality was natural, and not a sin. That hijras were humans too, and they had every right a non-hijra human had. Yes, the messages were received.
With pride, and yet without arrogance, not superiority, we had stood up.
And for me, I witnessed the power of love. And I got to know the cause. And I got to know these wonderful humans. For me, I shall never be frightened of them again. I shall never wince when they approach me on the roads, or in the train. Next time, I shall smile, and ask them their name, and give them something – not with irritation, not with pity, but in love.
***
>> Read Uduman’s entry on the same event.
>> See the pictures.
