A year after Section 377 order,help on campus to fight homophobia

“Everyone has problems of sexuality. This is a forum to exchange views,so that people do not feel alone,” said Rekha Nanaya,one of the founding members of QCI. “This is a way to help people come together and find their own ‘circle of rainbow buddies’,” she added.

Suchismita Chattopadhyay,of Anjuman,a campus collective at Jawaharlal Nehru University,said,“We realised that homophobia needed to be confronted on campus and decided to regroup last year.” The collective was started six or seven years back when cases of homophobia were registered on campus.

“Even in a progressive institution like JNU,homophobia exists. Due to the trend of being ‘politically correct’,people use the language of ‘right to privacy’ and ‘personal space’ to disguise their homophobia,” says Chattopadhyay.

Gautam Bhan,a queer rights activist,pointed out that younger voices have emerged ever since the judgment,“The judgment is not the end,but it has given the new generation energy to fight with. This judgment means that at least now they can confidently say that they are not doing anything criminal.”

While NGOs including Voices against 377,Naz Foundation and others appeal to the Supreme Court to uphold the High Court’s judgment,more initiatives are emerging to fight for the LGBTI (Lesbian,Gay,Bisexual,Transgender and Inter-sex) community.