Fierce, Free and Fluid: Gender and LGBTQ

Love, Desire, Identity and forbiddance are the most discussed questions in a society and yet, they are also the least defined. Literature has long been an unorthodox vehicle for changing and challenging the discourse around these issues. However, how have these discussions inspired popular agitation for rights, both for the binary folk as well as for the non binary?

“A close look at the traditional Hindu texts and mythological epics reveals an overflowing presence of sexually ambiguous characters, and the co-existence of several sexual identities, and the presence of people of the “third gender”. Arjuna was also cursed by a nymph and had to spend a year as a eunuch. The tale of Skhikhandi, the intersex warrior killing the mightiest warrior Bhishma for revenge and many other tales prove that our society can never escape gender fluidity, even when narrow mindsets propagate homophobia and hate.”

The imaginary walls we build, demarcating territories for different genders is what I call the ‘gendered walls’. Most of us encounter gendered walls on a daily basis. Often these walls are so thoroughly ingrained in our psyche to a point where we avoid certain spaces unconsciously. Popular literary works such as ‘A Room of One’s Own’ by Virginia Woolf and ‘I Want a Wife’ by Judy Brady have already exposed the fault lines of men’s and women’s spaces. The entire discussion on gendered physical spaces boil down to the power equations in the society. Who gets to control the access to the physical spaces around us? What are the stakes involved in the customs and traditions that confine or bind us? More importantly what is it that we lose by making our spaces more inclusive and diverse? This article seeks to explore how we create gendered spaces and how they, in turn, reinforce the stereotypes.

“It is clear that notions of impurity, deviance, suspicion, impotency, inadequacy have been attached to the LGBTQ populace from the early times, and have been passed through generations to us.”

“It is pertinent to acknowledge and appreciate the fact that rising against an oppressor does not necessarily have to be as violent as the sentiment suggests. It can be a nuanced and creative expression, be it through dance, music, or drama.”

“ It will take time as I remember the very old dialogue ‘ tareekh pe tareekh’ in the court, and they say the wheels of justice run slow, but as Martin Luther King also said that, ‘the arch of history bends slowly, but surely towards justice.’ ”

“ You know initially when we started the work, I remember, doctors used to tell me- 'why are you wasting your time, what's the point and all this for people who are HIV positive, why?' So, the other thing I also heard was ‘don't we have more important things in this country that you are wasting time on gay people.’ But part of the problem is of course our own homophobic attitudes towards the community as well as to HIV. The medical profession is a reflection of society at large and why would they be any different? In the first few years of our work, when I used to reach out myself, it used to break my heart because I had young men ask me “is there any medicine to make me feel differently?” Imagine going through this in life where you think the way you feel is so wrong.”

A nexus between the citizens and the government, civil societies have been in the picture of democratic struggles upholding an indispensable role to play. The very essence of their imperative presence has been established and corroborated by their actions against the prejudices held towards the queer community.

The battle for the LQBTQIA+ community has been a long one. As much as people of the community have had to fight for their rightful identity and freedom, history has many stories and a lot of artwork that people might have missed out on.