Tag: Gender Justice | Page 3

The graphic shows a flag created for the global mental health movement by The Pete Foundation, Louisville, USA in 2020 in collaboration with several mental health organizations / care providers, artists, designers, advocates, and community members in the US and elsewhere. The graphic, a horizontal rectangle, shows arcs of different shades of green and yellow radiating outwards from the lower left corner of the rectangle. It begins with a dark shade of green, followed by lighter ones and finally a yellow band. Green is the colour for mental health awareness, and forms the base of the flag. The design reflects a shift from dark to lighter colours, representing the various states of our emotional or psychological life, and the collective efforts to bring the topic of mental health out of the darkness and into the light. Image sourced from Wikimedia Commons

Insight Nov '22

Well-being through a queer affirmative lens (part 1)

By Dr. Srabasti Majumdar

Srabasti Majumdar dwells on what queer affirmative therapy means and its significance for the well-being of queer people

Quote: The right to be recognized in one’s own name, the right to one’s bodily autonomy, the right to be a citizen in one’s own gender identity are basic rights in any functioning democracy. Despite the rich, albeit mired, history of transgender identities, and their inclusion and exclusion, in the Indian subcontinent, today, we are dealing with an issue that can make or break people. It can give transgender people the freedom to fly and claim each and every right possible in their own identity, or else it can entwine their lives into a bureaucratic nightmare.

Insight, Vartanama Oct '22

Trans identities lost in a bureaucratic haze

By Debjyoti Ghosh

Why does West Bengal have such a poor rate of transgender identity certification? Debjyoti Ghosh raises pertinent questions

Quote: Bilkis’ trauma is that of others as well – irrespective of gender and religion. Whether we like it or not, we’re all connected. Incidents of unimaginable cruelty have happened against women and numerous other vulnerable social groups in the past as well, continuously and often invisibly adding on to our collective trauma. There’s not just a pile up of ‘cases’ in our courts of law, but a mountain of pain building up in our society.

Vartanama Aug '22

On violence, trauma, justice and healing

By Pawan Dhall

What could it be like to burn in hell – for the collective conscience of an entire society?

This is a group photograph taken at the end of an event organized at Deshaj Café and Store on June 4, 2022 to mark the completion of 100 monthly issues of ‘Varta’ webzine in April 2022. The photograph shows 13 individuals standing or sitting in three rows, smiling and facing the camera. The individuals include Varta Trustees, members, staff members, and well-wishers, representing a mix of different genders and sexualities. In the background can be seen the café’s book racks, wall hangings and a wall-mounted television set. In the forefront, to the right edge of the photograph, a few pieces of the cake cut on the occasion can be seen kept on a side table. Photo credit: Swati Das

Happenings, Insight Aug '22

Words and art from the heart

By Swati Das

A round-up of events organized to mark 100 monthly issues of ‘Varta’ webzine by Swati Das

This photograph is an indoor shot of an art workshop organized to celebrate 100 monthly issues of ‘Varta’ webzine. Around half a dozen individuals are seated on the floor in a well-lit room. One person is seated on a plastic chair. Everyone is absorbed in drawing, painting, and sketching on sheets of white chart paper. An assortment of poster colours, brushes, and mixing plates are spread out on the floor. A young woman, seated closest to the camera, is painting a huge tree in brown and yellow arching across the chart paper. A small inset at the right hand side bottom corner of the photograph shows a close-up of a mixing plate filled with a riot of water colours. The circular border of the plate itself is filled with multi-coloured polka dots. Photo credits: Rudra Kishore Mandal and Swati Das

Creations, Vartanama Jul '22

Varta’s art workshop was fun and thought-provoking

By Pawan Dhall

Highlights from an art workshop organized to celebrate 100 monthly issues of 'Varta' webzine

Quote: “What is particularly troubling about the 2021 anti-trafficking Bill is that consent is not a defence when it comes to raids and rescues, thus enabling law enforcement to mirror trends under the ITPA where persons who are voluntarily in the sex trade are picked up and forcibly placed in protection and rehabilitation homes against their will.”

Insight Jun '22

Anti-trafficking Bill must be reconsidered (again)

By Namrata, Shreyashi

Namrata and Shreyashi on the problem areas in the latest version of the anti-trafficking Bill – with inputs from Archit Krishna and Kaushik Gupta

This graphic is a colourful collage of a number of film stills from the songs and films mentioned in the accompanying article. Clockwise from top left, there are stills from Aga Bai (Aiyyaa), Girls Like to Swing (Dil Dhadakne Do), Mann Kyon Mehka Ri Mehka (Utsav), Khwab Bankar Koi Ayega (Razia Sultan), Raat Akeli Hai (Jewel Thief), Haye Haye Yeh Majboori (Roti Kapada Aur Makaan) and Aga Bai (Aiyyaa) again. The collage is made of cuttings from computer printouts of the film stills. It is placed on an off-white background, with a few hand-drawn pastel sketches in black on the edges of the collage. On the top left, there is a sketch of an unspooling film reel, and at the bottom right, there is a sketch of a movie camera. Graphic credit: Souvik Rakshit

Cinemascope, Insight May '22

‘Aa jaane jaan . . .’

By Jia Mata, Lipikor

Jia Mata and Lipikor on portrayals of female desire in Bollywood films and songs

This rectangular graphic contains text that says: “In effect, the proposed amendment has divided adult Indian women into two categories for whom the chasm of choice, autonomy, and education widens everyday. Women in the first section are financially empowered and can marry at any age according to their wish. Coming from rich households, they can access several opportunities and some degree of financial independence. Women in the second section have little to no access to education, especially secondary education, as they belong to poorer households. These factors make women in this section statistically more likely to have a child marriage. But if they marry before 21, the marriage will not be legally recognised as per the proposed amendment.” The text is presented against a background that has patterns and colours symbolic of wedding decoration, clothes and festivities (primarily different shades of oranges and reds). The background design is borrowed from the MS Power Point software.

Insight, Policy Matters Dec '21

Can increasing women’s marriageable age alone enhance their life options?

By Sankalpita Mullick, Sudhasri Yadavalli

Sankalpita Mullick and Sudhasri Yadavalli analyse the controversial Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021

Policy Matters, Vartanama Nov '21

Trans inclusion in schools: A step forward and several backwards

By Debjyoti Ghosh

Debjyoti Ghosh on the politics around withdrawing the draft NCERT manual on transgender children’s inclusion in schools

This is a horizontal multi-coloured graphic with a bold black headline that reads "Varta Economic Inclusion Mentoring Forum". Underneath the headline, a series of three iconic visuals with accompanying text briefly describe the objectives of the forum – mentoring queer people from eastern and north-eastern India; connecting them with a team of social workers and field experts; and offering new opportunities for skills building and livelihood. The leftmost visual is of a closed fist emerging from a rainbow, symbolizing solidarity. The visual in the middle is a sign of networking among three people, and the visual on the extreme right is of two hands joined in unity and support. Artwork credit: Arkadeepra Purkayastha

Policy Matters, Vartanama Sep '21

Skills, jobs and freedoms

By Debjyoti Ghosh

Debjyoti Ghosh reflects on the learning so far from Varta’s fledgling economic inclusion mentoring forum

This photograph is a daytime mid-shot that shows the author Meghna Mehra seated on a stage for a book reading session during a queer art event in Delhi. She has a book open on her lap, held with her left hand, and a microphone in her right hand. She smiles as she speaks looking at the audience, which is not visible in the photograph. The backdrop includes a rainbow pride flag; red, white and yellow balloons; a standee flex banner for the event; and a couple of tall house plants – all placed against a glass wall. Some more greenery and cars can be seen parked beyond the glass wall, outside the event venue. The event in question is ‘The QUART Project – Red Festival 2.0’ held in 2018. Photo courtesy The QUART Project

Insight, My Story Sep '21

Getting to know the asexuality spectrum

By Meghna Mehra

Meghna Mehra talks about issues around asexuality through her personal account of coming out as asexual

This lead graphic has text that says: “Queer cohabitation requires diverse support systems and services in addition to the protection that the law of the land extends to queer couples. These systems and services must address the socio-cultural barriers that the queer couples are bound to encounter. It’s unlikely that queer cohabitation can succeed just on islands of legal approval surrounded by a sea of family and social disapproval.” The text in black is superimposed on a background that shows a random spread of numerous heart shapes, some interlinked or coupled, others lying single and asunder, in different angles. The heart shapes are in a mix of steel grey, light blue and sea green colours, and form a striking backdrop to the text. Graphic credit: Pawan Dhall (graphic based on Clip Art by Microsoft Office)

Insight Aug '21

In the matter of queer relationships – court approval vs. social disapproval

By Diksha Sanyal

What is life like for Indian queer couples who win court approval of their right to cohabit? An analysis by Diksha Sanyal with inputs from Pawan Dhall

This illustration shows a poster for the documentary film ‘Sab Rab De Bande’ made by first-time filmmaker Sukhdeep Singh. Photographs of three of the five interviewees in the film occupy the centre space in the poster. These interviewees are the filmmaker himself; Ritika, a transgender woman from Delhi; and Amolak, an androgynous gay man from Kanpur. The photographs, placed in a row, are in black and white and in contrast with an artistic blue and peach background. The lower part of the poster shows a graphic silhouette of what seems to be a religious congregation of Sikhs. Two symbols of Sikhism are placed on either side of the silhouette graphic. To the left is the Ek Onkar, which means one supreme reality; to the right is the Khanda, a symbol of Sikhism that is an amalgam of three symbols – ‘khanda’, a double-edged sword in the centre; ‘chakram’, a circular throwing weapon, behind the ‘khanda’; and two ‘kirpans’, single-edged swords placed on either side of the ‘khanda’ and ‘chakram’ and crossed at the bottom. The accompanying text on the poster says: “A film by Sukhdeep Singh – a documentary on LGBTQ Sikhs – Sab Rab De Bande – We’re All God’s Creation”. Poster courtesy Sukhdeep Singh

Cinemascope Jul '21

On being queer and Sikh in India

By Shivalal Gautam

‘Sab Rab De Bande’ is an impressive debut film on a sensitive subject by queer activist Sukhdeep Singh, says Shivalal Gautam

Quote: I have more than 20 years of experience as a transgender social worker in West Bengal. It was a different matter that there was no match between my work area or experience and the openings available in the job fair. But it was disappointing to realize that the vast majority of my community members would probably never even come close to availing these opportunities.

Coronavirus Diary, Insight Jun '21

Something unfair about job fairs

By Sudipa Chakraborty

Job fairs for queer aspirants in India need a rethink, says Sudipa Chakraborty

This illustration is a combination of a photograph and a quote from the accompanying article. To the left is a day-time medium shot of S. Lipsa Rao, a transgender woman from Odisha, who is the central character in the article. Lipsa is in a pensive mood. She is dressed in a deep blue kurta and white pyjamas, with a small bindi on her forehead and her hair tied back in a ponytail. She leans on to a low wall that forms the boundary of an open space outside her home. Her face rests on her right hand, and her right elbow is placed on the ledge of the wall. Her gaze is away from the camera, to the right side. The ledge, low wall and a wall behind her are all painted white. Behind her is a glimpse of a door. The accompanying quote says: “In November last year Lipsa had a lucky break when she managed a job as office support staff in the Jatni Municipality. This brought financial stability to her life. But she feels little reason to rejoice. She worries about the fate of her friends who have not had the same educational opportunities as she has had. In the current circumstances, not just jobs in an office are out of their reach – even their traditional livelihoods are being lost.” Photo courtesy: S. Lipsa Rao

Coronavirus Diary, Policy Matters May '21

Pandemic impact on a loop?

By Pradosh Dash

What has changed for the transgender women in Odisha since the COVID-19 pandemic led to the crippling lockdowns of 2020? Pradosh Dash spoke to S. Lipsa Rao, a transgender community...

Coronavirus Diary, Insight, Vartanama Mar '21

**‘Bengal Trans* & Queer Charter of Demands’ released**

By Chand

West Bengal’s trans* and queer communities are formulating a policy and political participation advocacy plan. Chand takes us through the first step taken recently

Tagged Under: Gender Justice

Well-being through a queer affirmative lens (part 1)

Trans identities lost in a bureaucratic haze

On violence, trauma, justice and healing

Words and art from the heart

Varta’s art workshop was fun and thought-provoking

Anti-trafficking Bill must be reconsidered (again)

‘Aa jaane jaan . . .’

Can increasing women’s marriageable age alone enhance their life options?

Trans inclusion in schools: A step forward and several backwards

Skills, jobs and freedoms

Getting to know the asexuality spectrum

In the matter of queer relationships – court approval vs. social disapproval

On being queer and Sikh in India

Something unfair about job fairs

Pandemic impact on a loop?

**‘Bengal Trans* & Queer Charter of Demands’ released**

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