In Frames | Pride, not prejudice

Thousands of LGBTIQ+ members and supporters came together for Chennai’s 15th Pride March in June. The Pride March was organised by the Tamil Nadu Rainbow Coalition. This year, queer activist Srijith Sundaram made transport arrangements for several parents who had accepted and supported their LGBTQIA children

It was a cheerful show of solidarity when thousands of LGBTIQ+ members and supporters came together for Chennai’s 15th Pride March in June. Behind the smiling faces lay a steely resolve to build a future that comes with dignity and is free of discrimination.

“Love is love. We are gathered here for our rights, respect, and acceptance,” says Thanishka, a transwoman.

The Pride March was organised by the Tamil Nadu Rainbow Coalition, which held high a banner quoting Thiruvalluvar, “Can love be shackled?” This year, queer activist Srijith Sundaram made transport arrangements for several parents who had accepted and supported their LGBTQIA children and for differently-abled people who wanted to offer their solidarity.

Transgender people face discrimination daily. Family support is rare. In villages, there are families that renounce their children in public because of social pressure. LGBTIQ+ adolescents are forced to flee their homes. This cuts them off from educational opportunities. Personal safety is always under threat. Those who flee to big cities and towns often have to go into begging or sex work. There are “syndicates” that mark out the areas where they can take up this work and two transwomen said if they entered another area, they would be beaten up or dogs would be set upon them.

Even those who have managed to find jobs in the formal sector struggle with stigma. The most common problem they face is finding a place to stay. Some house owners expect them to hide their identity. “I always have a bag with a jibba and veshti in it. I wear those over my sari and leave home,” says Marakkah, a transwoman teacher.

Says Agni, a writer and teacher, “My house owner has told the neighbours that I’m a classical dancer, and that’s why I am clean-shaven and dress like women.”

Tamil Nadu has passed a law that says transgender people will be given vertical reservation, but LGBTQIA activists have demanded horizontal reservation.