Anything connected with sex is suppressed in Kerala. Morality has
become an obsession with Kerala's societal attitude, cutting across
the divides of class, gender, caste and religion. While in a majority
of countries women can work and live as singles and contribute to
social production, in Kerala, such people are largely isolated and
kept aloof from the public sphere. The question of sexual rights
occupies limited spaces of socio-political discourse in Kerala. The
mainstream political parties here are yet to identify or acknowledge
the politics of queer activism.
We seem to have reached a point that no political movement can move
ahead unless the conspiracy of silence about sexuality is broken. The
politics of sexuality cannot wait till all the problems related with
globalization and unemployment are solved forever. We need to talk
about sexual rights as we do about any other fundamental rights.
Kerala is one of the very few states in India where the CPI(M) has
been most active over the years. It would be interesting to juxtapose
this with the fact that in September 2003, All India Democratic
Women's Association (the women's fraction of CPI(M)) had sent a note
to the Indian Govt. to scrap IPC 377. But one doesn't seem to have
reached its own cadres in Kerala even after 5 years.
Section 377 of IPC is challenged in the Delhi High Court and the final
hearings are on now. Large scale sexual minority mobilizations took
places in Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata in the recent past
demanding the repeal of IPC 377. This brought about enormous media
coverage all over India but not in Kerala. While the Kerala Government
is extremely keen reaching out to homosexual/bisexual men to use them
for HIV prevention initiatives, one can clearly notice that there is
absolute disregard for their human rights.
Hijras are visible and tolerated in most parts of India. Meanwhile,
they are scared even to visit Kerala for a short-time. Most of the
Keralite hijras migrate and live in Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai and
other parts of India. They are forced to present themselves in male
attire when they visit their families in Kerala.
Lesbians or gays or transgenders find it extremely difficult to have
social space in Kerala. They are viewed as objects of curiosity and
fun that attracts the media attention. There have been many an
instances of lesbian suicides in Kerala over the years. The situation
is such, that if they are to make a living, they would have to migrate
to other states in India. The media mostly chooses to ignore such
issues, preventing them from becoming a matter of public debate.
Recent suicide of a gay couple in Ernakulam attracted very little
media coverage. Most progressive groups in Kerala too ignored this.
In this context, a group of sexual minority activists and supporters
from different parts of Kerala (and some from Karnataka as well) met
twice in the last 2 months and felt a strong need to break the
continuing silence in Kerala. It was decided to organize a public
event in Calicut on 13th November 2008, where a large number of sexual
minorities will come out in the open and march publicly for the first
time to reclaim their rightful space in the society. Mr. Sunil Babu
Pant, the first sexual minority Member of Parliament in Asia has
confirmed his participation in the event.
The event will be organized by a coalition organizations (including
FIRM, Malabar Cultural Forum-Calicut, Sahayathrika, LLAS-Kollam,
Sahay-Palakkad, Sanghamithra-Thrissur, HRLN, GAIA, Vanitha
Society-Calicut, Chilla-Thiruvananthapuram,
ANANNIA-Thiruvananthapuram, Sex Workers Forum Kerala, Sangama, Aneka,
Suraksha, Samara, Karnataka Sex workers Union and Karnataka Sexuality
Minorities Forum), and the coalition would continue to advance the
human rights for sexual minorities rights in Karala.
We request you to support us through your participation in the event..
In Solidarity
Sanjesh, Seena and Abhilash
on behalf of the organizing committee
For more information contact:
9995013899
9745796017
9947234562