“This is no one’s charity. I live in India. This is my right,” said Sheethal Shyam, member of the Transgender Justice Board, when asked about the recent Supreme Court verdict that struck down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code.
In a session at the Kerala Literature Festival on Sunday that discussed the ‘Rights of the marginalised’, Ms. Shyam, along with Jijo Kuriakose, the founder of Queerala, came down heavily on the congratulations being accorded to the Supreme Court, the KLF organisers as well as the DYFI for enrolling queer persons.
“They all deserve applause. But the fight was always led by queer persons, whose roles are not being acknowledged,” he said.
Religion, sexuality
Mohammed Unais, who was awarded Queer Person 2018 award recently, explained how he was a firm follower of Islam even while being gay, which he said was a battle within himself due to Islam’s views on homosexuality. “Sexuality is decided by the brain while religion is not. Hence, there is every possibility of your sexuality weakening your religious belief,” he said, adding how some lesbian readings of Islam brought him back to the religious path, without compromising on his sexuality. He called upon religious organisations to put an end to their attacks on homosexuals and queer people.
Biju Vincent, an academic, gave an account of the situation that led to the addition of Section 377 back in 1863. “The British were imposing their concept of sodomy as a sin on Indians,” he said.
Hashtag campaign
Ms. Shyam said it was necessary to make her voice louder since there had not been much change in the way Kerala society viewed queer people. “A society that cannot respect menstruation is not expected to respect us. Why don’t you start a hashtag campaign for menstruation?” she said.
