IDAM: Convention for Sexuality Minorities in Kerala
“IDAM” [Space]
Convention for Sexuality Minority Rights in Kerala
Discussions, Theatre and Cultural Programs, Candle light Vigil
Sahitya Akademi, Trissur September 20, 2008
9:30 am- 6:00 pm
Candle Light Vigil and Public Meeting, 6:30 pm, in front of Corporation Hall
Organised by Sahayatrika,
with participation and support of Alternative Law Forum (Bangalore), Aneka (Bangalore), Anannia (Trivandrum), FIRM, FIRM-Jwala (Trissur), GAIA (Trissur), Human Rights Law Network (Kerala), Loveland Arts Society (Kollam), Malabar Cultural Forum (Calicut), Project Prism (Trivandrum), Sahayee (Palakkad), Sahodaran (Chennai), SANGAMA (Bangalore), Shakti Centre (Chennai), Snehatheeram (Kannur)
Program
I. Introduction Session– Sahayatrika (930 – 10)
II. Dance Performance — Kollam Loveland Arts Society (10- 10:15)
III. Sexualities, Society, and the State – (10:15 – 11:15)
· Sexuality, Gender and Citizenship— J. Devika , A.K. Rajasree, (Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum)
· IPC 377 and Queer Movements – Ponni Arsanu, (Alternative Law Forum, Bangalore)
· Vulnerabilities of Communities — Sunil Menon, Sahodaran, Chennai
· Legal and Police issues for MSMs – Malabar Cultural Forum
Respondents: MiniSukumar, Civic Chandran
Discussion: (11:15-11:45)
IV. Lesbit Performance: Musical Chairs (12- 12:45)
Lunch 12:45 to 1:15
V: Sexuality Minority, Experiences and Politics, (1:15-2:30)
Panel Discussion featuring Gayatri, Beena , Pulapre Balakrishnan, Nandakrishna, Sonu, and others.
Discussion (2:30 – 3:00)
VI. Theatre and Cultural Programs (3:00 – 5:00)
- Readings in Malayalam: K.R. Meera (3 – 3:30)
- Malabar Cultural Forum—Dance Performance (3:30-3:50)
- Excerpt from “Unsettling Memories”, by Selwam (3:50-4:15) With introduction by Mangai
- Pritham Chakravorty’s “Nirvanam” (4:15- 5;00)
VII. Concluding Panel: Sexuality and Cultural Activism (5:00- 5:30)
Pritham, Mangai, Loveland Arts Society. Moderated by Bindhu Menon
6:30 Evening Candlelight Vigil/ Demonstration
Location to be announced
Candlelight vigil for those who have committed suicide, Speeches, Songs,
For further information contact Sahayatrika, sahayatrika@gmail.com 9744955866 or 9847263001
Recent Suicides
Ahmedabad, July 5 In four years, Pinky (name changed) thought she had fought her share of battles. A lesbian, she got married to partner Shilpa against all odds in conservative Ahmedabad in 2004. Two years ago, again defying all odds, they had a boy, delivered by Shilpa through artificial insemination. However, two weeks ago, Shilpa committed suicide. Pinky’s back battling again, with Shilpa’s parents over custody of the child. For more information.
RAIPUR: A suspected suicide pact involving two teenaged girls has shocked a small hamlet in Chhattisgarh’s Durg district. The girls — Gansehia (15) and Asha (16) — set themselves on fire after their parents allegedly discovered they were lesbians and rebuked them. Police said the duo’s charred bodies were found in the fields of Kokla in Durg’s Bemetara block on Tuesday. For more information.
CHENNAI: Two married women, who allegedly shared a lesbian relationship, committed suicide by setting themselves ablaze after their families tried to separate them. The police recovered the charred bodies of the women, who died hugging each other, from the residence of one of the women at Sathangadu, near Thiruvotriyur, on Saturday. For More Information.
A youth, running a barber shop and his friend, a student, have been discovered dead due to burns in a rented house. Sivanarayanan (32), from Perumbilavu in Trichur, presently residing near Ajantha Theatre in Pandikkudi, Mattanchery (Kochi) and Deepak (17), son of Srikesh, R.G. Pai Road, are the deceased and their badly charred bodies were spotted in a room of the rented house Sivanarayanan had been occupying. The incident seems to have taken place at around 3 am on Thursday (26th). Both the bodies have been completely burnt. Police recovered a petrol can from the precincts. Police assumes that the two, who were intimate friends, had committed suicide together. For more information.
Pride Parades
Recent positive developments in queer rights in India…
Bangalore: In the first-ever event of its kind in Bangalore, the sexuality-minority community of the city came together for a “pride march” to celebrate their sexuality and demand repeal of laws that discriminate against them. For more information.
Though the setting up of advocacy groups and helplines in recent years has given India’s homosexuals a voice and some solace, they are still largely a hidden and persecuted community. But in a sign of changing times, India’s gays, lesbians, bisexuals and the traditional hijra transsexual community came together for the first-ever Delhi Queer Pride Parade yesterday.
For more information.
Sunday’s three-city queer pride march comes at a curious time for sexuality and rights in India. Changes over the last decade have been dramatic: a movement has emerged, rights have been advanced, attitudes (at least in urban India) are changing. Changed enough, at least, for a group of individuals to come together and find that there is desire, capacity and support to pull off Delhi’s first pride parade. There is no doubt that this is a milestone. For more information.
In a rare display of unity, hundreds of gays and lesbians on Sunday paraded the streets of Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore, pressing for changes in the law to end their stigma and discrimination. For more information.
IPC 377
India’s capital held its first gay rally, a judge of the Delhi High Court observed Friday that such rallies were common abroad and so there was no need to “hype the matter”. Justice A.K. Sikri, heading a special bench of the court, made the observation while dealing with a petition seeking decriminalisation of homosexual acts between consenting adults. For more information.
NEW DELHI: Was minister of state of labour and employment Oscar Fernandes influenced by India’s first national gay and lesbian pride celebrations which had taken place, just the day before, on Sunday (June 29)? Because on Monday, at a function to mark the release of a report on the impact of AIDS in Asia, produced for UNAIDS by an independent commission headed by C Rangarajan, ex-governor of RBI and current chairman of Economic Advisory Council to the PM, Mr Fernandes made the most categorical statement in favour of decriminalising homosexuality ever to come from a member of the Indian government (in the presence of the prime minister as well). For more information.
Spread the word!
In light of the spate of self-immolation and suicides among sexuality minorities, the vaccuum of media coverage and dialogue in Kerala has been difficult to understand. Partly in response to this silence and to show solidarity to those who have been denied social, political, cultural and economic spaces, there is an effort to bring together activists, supporters, allies and community. Please join us in spreading the word!!
Queer Rights in Kerala 