Tag: Transphobia | Page 2

This is an early evening mid-range shot of around 14 trans masculine and other queer persons associated with the Samarth trans collective of Odisha standing behind a large rainbow pride flag during the ‘Puri Rainbow Pride Walk’ held on June 13, 2023. The flag is held at chest level across several of the walkers. Some of them are also holding posters with Odia and English text or small rainbow pride flags. They are all smiles as they look at the camera, and exude happiness. A number of other walk participants can be seen behind them. In the background, to the left, are several buildings, while to the right are some more buildings, a couple of palm trees, and a handful of open sky. Photo courtesy SAATHII

Vartanama Nov '23

Dreams and demands

By Bana, Pawan Dhall

Trans masculine individuals in Odisha are speaking up louder about their aspirations for the future – Bana shares a wish list with ‘Varta’ – hopefully most of it will come...

This photograph shows the author Amrita Sarkar conducting a sensitization session on transgender health with the staff of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi earlier this year. In a conference hall lit brightly with ceiling lights, around 30 AIIMS staff members of different genders are seated in two columns. The author is standing in the aisle between the two columns, and appears to be answering the question of one of the staff members. In the background, the main entrance to the conference room, two curtained windows, and a side door are visible. A camera fixed on a tripod stand is also visible, close to the main entrance. Photo courtesy AIIMS

My Story Oct '23

How my tomorrow should look like

By Amrita Sarkar

A decade into the future, Amrita Sarkar wants the trans and queer movements to focus their energies on mental health and geriatric concerns

This illustration is a combination of a photograph and text extracted from the accompanying article. The photograph shows a midrange, semi silhouette shot of the author standing barefoot on a sea beach during sunrise. She has her back to the camera, looking out at the open sea. The sea water laps at her feet. Barring a small wave at some distance from the author, the surface of the sea is a calm golden, reflecting the light of the sun still low on the horizon. The sea water seems to extend indefinitely and one cannot make out where it merges with the sky. The accompanying text says: “Despite everything, I’m hopeful about the upcoming 10 years. Our community is resilient and deeply engaged in the resistance against oppression. In 10 years from now, we may yet be able to have better queer representation at the government level. We may yet succeed in pushing gender and sexuality education at the school level, and gain horizontal reservation for the trans community in the spheres of education and employment. I believe that the process of queer inclusion will be gradual but it can’t be stopped or reversed.” Photo courtesy Meghna Mehra

Commentary Oct '23

Wishlist for queer pride and asexual visibility

By Meghna Mehra

Meghna Mehra believes that the future will be queer, along with freer expressions of asexuality becoming a reality in India and elsewhere in the next 10 years

Cinemascope, Vartanama Sep '23

Celebrating the queer gaze in Hindi cinema

By Debjyoti Ghosh

As ‘Varta’ turned 10 on August 1, 2023, Debjyoti Ghosh caught up with pioneering filmmaker Onir for a chat on his vision for queer empowerment in Hindi cinema and beyond

This illustration is a combination of a photograph and text extracted from the accompanying article. The photograph is of a large blackboard with a light brown wooden frame. At the lower edge of the blackboard, the wooden frame has a ledge on which some chalk and a duster are placed. Text extracted from the accompanying article has been placed on the blackboard image in a typeface to simulate the image of text written with white chalk on a blackboard. The text says: “What can discussions on sexuality in a classroom do? I believe that when we confront sexual difference in the classroom, we learn to understand and respect diversity. Queer perspectives and narratives of pride and suffering open a space not just for acceptance but critical self-understanding. Queer lives are so precarious that even a space bound by a timetable can be liberating. Being acknowledged and validated in a classroom may engender a hope to survive outside it, and sometimes, it is survival that is at stake.” Blackboard image courtesy Cliparts.co via ‘Wikimedia Commons’

Insight, Vartanama Aug '23

For that sliver of hope

By Zaid Al Baset

Making educational institutions inclusive spaces for everyone is an uphill battle, but Zaid Al Baset is not giving up yet – his forecasts on inclusion as ‘Varta’ completes 10 years

Quote: Somewhere amid all these positives, I also expect queer people with disabilities to be more visible, do well in life, and not be silenced in both queer and disability communities. Homophobic, transphobic and ableist people will still be around, but they may well be pushed to the fringes. A decade hence we may sit down and compare the predictions made by various authors on the pages of Varta and calculate the percentage of those that have come true.

My Story Aug '23

Cautious predictions for 2033 CE

By Rajib Chakrabarti

On ‘Varta’ webzine completing 10 years, Rajib Chakrabarti writes about the changes he expects to see for queer people and persons with disabilities a decade from now

This is a close-up indoor shot of a pile of six mid-sized ‘motichoor’ laddus placed on parchment paper on a black plate. The gorgeous and mouthwatering orange colour of the laddus is marked with specs of green, red and white condiments. The background of the photograph is blurred to enhance the appeal of the laddus. Main photo credit: Priyam1307 via ‘Wikimedia Commons’

Vartanama Apr '23

All this marriage (equality) talk!

By Pawan Dhall

Pawan Dhall has something to say to argumentative Indians who’ve been bickering over who can have the marriage laddu and who can have only the laddu

This graphic is a combination of a photograph and text. The photograph is a close-up shot of a poster being held up by a participant at the ‘19th Kolkata Rainbow Pride Walk’ held on December 18, 2022. In large white-on-black letters, the poster says: “Trans is not meant to be tokenized”. The participant is not visible in the photograph but their hands holding the poster can be seen. The text accompanying the photograph says: “It was argued that even if one person has been issued a transgender identity card, then under Article 14 of the Constitution, the principles of justice and equality imply that all other persons who have applied for the identity card must also be issued such cards by the relevant government authorities. The court has upheld these principles and has directed the state government to address all the applications pending till date.” Photo credit: Kaushik Gupta

Happenings, Policy Matters Jan '23

Judicial fillip to transgender rights once again

By Pawan Dhall

Calcutta High Court has given the Government of West Bengal a month to clear the long-pending backlog on transgender identity certification in the state

The graphic is a symbolic amalgamation of the key issues discussed in the accompanying article. Upfront in the graphic is a flag created for the global mental health movement by The Pete Foundation, Louisville, USA in 2020 in collaboration with 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. In the background to this flag is the rainbow flag, a popular symbol adopted by the queer rights movements worldwide. The mental health movement flag is superimposed on the rainbow flag such that the second flag provides only a narrow but distinct rainbow-coloured border to the first flag. Overall, the graphic attempts to represent the issue of queer affirmative therapy or queer affirmative counselling practices. Images for both flags sourced from Wikimedia Commons

Insight Dec '22

Well-being through a queer affirmative lens (part 2)

By Dr. Srabasti Majumdar

Srabasti Majumdar explains how queer affirmative therapy takes into account the inter-dependence between mind and body in ensuring well-being for queer people

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

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 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 Rudrani Rajkumari

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

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, Happenings Mar '21

Bengal government health insurance scheme not ready for trans inclusion?

By Sudipa Chakraborty, Pawan Dhall, Pradosh Dash

Transgender social worker Sudipa Chakraborty has had a harrowing time applying for Swasthya Sathi, West Bengal government’s ambitious health insurance scheme for one and all

Tagged Under: Transphobia

Dreams and demands

How my tomorrow should look like

Wishlist for queer pride and asexual visibility

Celebrating the queer gaze in Hindi cinema

For that sliver of hope

Cautious predictions for 2033 CE

All this marriage (equality) talk!

Judicial fillip to transgender rights once again

Well-being through a queer affirmative lens (part 2)

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

Trans identities lost in a bureaucratic haze

Trans inclusion in schools: A step forward and several backwards

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

On being queer and Sikh in India

Pandemic impact on a loop?

Bengal government health insurance scheme not ready for trans inclusion?

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