Yesterday I heard a NDTV story (Location :NDTV.com-Videos- Top Stories- More-"Gay community faces hostility": Shumona's story) on violence against gays and lesbians in Calcutta. I remember that around two years back there was a protest march in Calcutta by gays, lesbians and transgendered individuals. They were primarily asking for acceptance, creating enlightenment. I have not thought much about the issue at least pertaining to Calcutta after that. Yesterday when I saw the video two dominant thoughts came to my mind.
First, the ‘deviation from normalcy’ as transgendered behaviour is mostly seen, is met with not just humiliation and ostracism, but violence, all around the world. Calcutta is not the only place, neither the first, definitely not going to be the last. I was reminded, as I watched one of the subjects of the video describe how he was asked to strip by surrounding police officers, the movie “Boys Don’t Cry.” Remember Hilary Swank, giving the performance of a life time in that movie? She played a girl, who, dressed as a boy actually managed to get herself a girlfriend and engage in an emotional relationship with her, till the time it came out in the open and she was brutally raped and violently beaten up, by her girlfriemd’s friends (if I remember). I wonder if it is just hatred/anger that makes queer people an easy target of violence. In some cases, yes. Conformity has long been considered a key to peace. I think it is slightly over rated. Queer people represent the harmless but complicated story of a woman in a man’s body or otherwise. The point is not why they are not being accepted. As important as that is, the more urgent question is why should they be targets of violence, sometimes leading to death? Considering that gays make excellent jesters and gay jokes cracks up audiences in Bollywood films, and also Hollywood, I find it hard to believe that it is JUST hatred/anger. So why such treatment? The way I see it, most people, the aam janta gets cheap thrills (CT) from this. CT 1 – Queers allow just about any ‘normal’ person to straighten them up. CT 2 – Queers are people from Mars. How do they look without clothes? CT 3 – They will probably get audiences to share their acts of bravery with. CT 4 – All queers appear as ‘feminine’ subjects. The lesbian is obviously no threat. The gay is deemed to be weak as well, as they opt for, in some weird way, being the weaker sex. The show of power over these subjects seems unavoidably tempting. I am running out of CT. I cannot think what else might prompt such disgusting acts.
Second, the queers, as the newly (last 5 years or so ) marginalized group face double marginalization. They are numerically insignificant and have not much of a political agenda. On top of that, their sexuality makes them marginalized just about anywhere in the world. The exceptions that are there, do not look very promising. Race, color and religion have often been issues for marginalized people, but they also get some respite with a change of place. I might feel marginalized outside India but not within India. The queers have acquired some sort of permanency in their marginal status. The reactions to their sexual choices seems to follow them every where. In fact, it is no choice for most of them, it is what they are.
I was listening to a BBC documentary on Roma Gypsies in the Czech Republic, a marginalized group. They do not fit in with the Czechs. The Romas are traditional, poor, uneducated, have more children than Czechs…As a state sponsored effort a Roma woman was sterilized while having her first born. It was done against her wish. Worse treatment is meted out to marginal groups. The story of Shumona reminds me that he and many like him are not safe anywhere in this world, not in their own countries, not amongst their own people, not with any government.
First, the ‘deviation from normalcy’ as transgendered behaviour is mostly seen, is met with not just humiliation and ostracism, but violence, all around the world. Calcutta is not the only place, neither the first, definitely not going to be the last. I was reminded, as I watched one of the subjects of the video describe how he was asked to strip by surrounding police officers, the movie “Boys Don’t Cry.” Remember Hilary Swank, giving the performance of a life time in that movie? She played a girl, who, dressed as a boy actually managed to get herself a girlfriend and engage in an emotional relationship with her, till the time it came out in the open and she was brutally raped and violently beaten up, by her girlfriemd’s friends (if I remember). I wonder if it is just hatred/anger that makes queer people an easy target of violence. In some cases, yes. Conformity has long been considered a key to peace. I think it is slightly over rated. Queer people represent the harmless but complicated story of a woman in a man’s body or otherwise. The point is not why they are not being accepted. As important as that is, the more urgent question is why should they be targets of violence, sometimes leading to death? Considering that gays make excellent jesters and gay jokes cracks up audiences in Bollywood films, and also Hollywood, I find it hard to believe that it is JUST hatred/anger. So why such treatment? The way I see it, most people, the aam janta gets cheap thrills (CT) from this. CT 1 – Queers allow just about any ‘normal’ person to straighten them up. CT 2 – Queers are people from Mars. How do they look without clothes? CT 3 – They will probably get audiences to share their acts of bravery with. CT 4 – All queers appear as ‘feminine’ subjects. The lesbian is obviously no threat. The gay is deemed to be weak as well, as they opt for, in some weird way, being the weaker sex. The show of power over these subjects seems unavoidably tempting. I am running out of CT. I cannot think what else might prompt such disgusting acts.
Second, the queers, as the newly (last 5 years or so ) marginalized group face double marginalization. They are numerically insignificant and have not much of a political agenda. On top of that, their sexuality makes them marginalized just about anywhere in the world. The exceptions that are there, do not look very promising. Race, color and religion have often been issues for marginalized people, but they also get some respite with a change of place. I might feel marginalized outside India but not within India. The queers have acquired some sort of permanency in their marginal status. The reactions to their sexual choices seems to follow them every where. In fact, it is no choice for most of them, it is what they are.
I was listening to a BBC documentary on Roma Gypsies in the Czech Republic, a marginalized group. They do not fit in with the Czechs. The Romas are traditional, poor, uneducated, have more children than Czechs…As a state sponsored effort a Roma woman was sterilized while having her first born. It was done against her wish. Worse treatment is meted out to marginal groups. The story of Shumona reminds me that he and many like him are not safe anywhere in this world, not in their own countries, not amongst their own people, not with any government.
8 comments:
Thank you for referring to this feature by NDTV. We keep hearing off and on about sex education in the school curriculum, but I feel that for as long as sex education doesn't also mean teaching that modes of sexual behaviour other than the heterosexual are normal, and "hijras" continue to be pariahs, and have to beg for a livelihood, these attitudes will not go away. This is also why people find it difficult to accept that some people choose to remain single, and have to have a theory about why so-and-so didn't marry, and the usual explanations are familial economic difficulties or unwilllingness to marry against parental approval or unreciprocated or jilted love . The possibility that the person may not be heterosexual, and given prevalent social attitudes wouldn't risk coming out with it doesn't occur.
Durba, There is so much happening, one can hardly keep track ! I think the point u made about sex education is very pertinent..I mean, that is probabaly the only thing to start with , really ! After all, even if children learn about hetersexual behavior..and learn to see it as normal, on top of that, there is always the larger community out of school that one has to face...The school going generation is important
BTW, your blog has a link to a Hilary Swank blog which, Internet Explorer is warning me may be a phishing trap.
True. I emphasized the school curriculum so that even drop-outs would be sensitized. One would hope for public awareness campaigns to be started on the issue. You point out the great popularity of Bollywood jokes on transgendered or castrated people or homosexuals, and that only means that the censor board doesn't think these jokes are objectionable, and until they think otherwise, we wouldn't probably see public awareness campaigns.
Removed. Thanks.
True. I emphasized the school curriculum so that even drop-outs would be sensitized. A good numbet of people who would harass and attack queer people on the streets would probably not have finished school. That is not to say though, that similar attitudes do not persist among the more educated. The point is, how to sensitize the maximum number of people. One would hope for public awareness campaigns to be started on the issue. You point out the great popularity of Bollywood jokes on transgendered or castrated people or homosexuals, and that only means that the censor board doesn't think these jokes are objectionable, and until they think otherwise, we wouldn't probably see public awareness campaigns. I think also that unless insulting or injuring someone on grounds of their sexuality is not made a punishable offence, no significant change will follow, for laughing at the queer is an age-old habit. And, there is one fundamental difference between, say, AIDS and HIV awareness campaigns and a campaign to sensistize people on the rights of the queer: AIDS and HIV campaigns seek to sensitize about things that puts everyone to risk, whereas people towards whom queer rights awareness campaigns would be targeted don't stand any risk at all. It's like urging people not to be communal.
Phew! Too long! I'll stop.
I am sorry for all typos in my comments. I'm increasingly becoming a careless typist, which is worrisome for me. I'm not removing my last comment though I can see at least one typo in it. I'll be more careful from now on.
That is fine...
I think most people will agree on basically one thing ! It is important to see what is being done to handle this issue..your suggestions are importnat in that sense.
I just think it is frustrating not to do anything ..
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