'I am a displaced Bangladeshi and Muslim gay man. I am a survivor of religious violence. And I fled to India in 2016. I would like to tell the Bharatiya Janata Party and its president, Amit Shah, that I exist. Their construction of all Muslims as hegemonic oppressors is outrageous and demonises India’s own dispossessed people. I have experienced this first hand in 2016, but this year BJP has gone a step further.
'A day after the Rajya Sabha passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019, community representatives held a press conference at the Indian Women’s Press Corps to highlight their issues with the Bill, reiterating that it only serves to push the community further to the margins and reduce trans people to “mere bodies”...'
'The new version of the Transgender Rights Bill is undeniably an improvement over its predecessors. It has a comparatively expansive definition of the term ‘transgender’, and has done away with problematic provisions requiring a screening process and criminalising begging. Nevertheless, the new Bill leaves much to be desired – it presents a misplaced understanding of ‘gender’ and limited equalising potential. For starters, the Bill takes gender to be concrete and determinable.
'On Sunday evening, the heart of the capital was abuzz once more with loud cries of ‘Azadi’ as huge rainbow flags fluttered across Tolstoy Marg. At the 12th edition of the Delhi Pride Parade, thousands of members of the LGBTQIA+ community walked hand-in-hand from Barakhamba Road to Jantar Mantar, shouting ‘Love is Love’ in unison. A huge banner which read ‘Stop Trans Rights Bill’ led the crowd. Amidst the rainbows, there were also many who wore black and grey.
'Ever since August 5, 2019, when the Centre read down Article 370 of the constitution, thus revoking Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, there has been enforced radio silence from Kashmir. In contrast, though, there has been a cacophony of voices, both on television and on the internet, in organised support of the move. National security and nationalism emerged as the two primary pillars upon which this support was based.
'On June 13, the Central Bureau of Investigation filed an FIR against Anand Grover and Lawyers Collective for alleged violations of rules related to NGOs receiving foreign funds... Grover and his partner Indira Jaising, both senior advocates, have been at the forefront of public interest and civil rights litigation in India. Several Indian lawyers have cut their teeth doing human rights work as a part of Lawyers Collective since 1981. Their work has had implications around the world. Between the two of them, they have contributed to the legal field in India for close to 80 years...'
'A day after finance minister Arun Jaitley and his Congress predecessor P Chidambaram claimed that the Supreme Court should reconsider its 2013 decision to criminalise gay sex, Delhi's queer community on Sunday showed up for the city's annual Pride March with strong views about their statements. Speaking at the Times LitFest in Delhi on November 28, Jaitley said that the court's view on homosexuality was not in sync with laws in many other parts of the world.
'In 2013, the Gujarat government denied an entertainment tax exemption to Meghdhanushya, KR Devmani’s Gujarati film on the gay community featuring Manvendra Singh Gohil, the openly gay prince of Rajpipla. The response to a Right to Information petition filed by Scroll.in has now confirmed that Meghdhanushya was the first and only film to be refused a tax exemption certificate on the grounds of its subject matter in the 16 years since Gujarat's entertainment tax policy came into effect.
'By Tuesday afternoon, the Economic Times had taken down a report, published in the June 30 edition of the paper, from the website. Headlined “Sec 377 may be scrapped, says Gowda” the report by Sowmya Aji quoted the law minister as sending positive signals to the LGBT community on Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which criminalises homosexuality.
'The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is in the middle of a controversy yet again. After the recent cuss-word debate and more scene snips that were widely contested, chairman Pahlaj Nihalani’s decision to ban Unfreedom — a film based on a homosexual relationship —has been met with criticism. The board reportedly has issues with both the lesbian relationship shown in the film and the parallel story where a liberal Muslim girl is kidnapped by terrorists. “They told me that Hindus and Muslims will start fighting, and that the film will also ignite ‘unnatural passion’.
