The stark discrimination faced by the LGBTQ community in India in various fields such as health, education, housing, public spaces and political formations has come into light after a survey was conducted for two years by researchers all over the country, reports the Hindustan Times.
The study points out that there is a lack of appropriate resources in the country to deal with physical and mental health problems faced by the queer community due to the harassment they face in their day-to-day lives. The report also talks about how there are not enough institutes to support survivors of bullying within the LGBTQ spectrum.
The segregation of students at places of higher education on the basis of traditional gender norms have also lead to rise in toxic masculine behaviour.
A study points out that there is a lack of appropriate resources in the country to deal with physical and mental health problems faced by the queer community due to the harassment they face in their day-to-day lives. Source: Indian Express
These observations were presented at a conference held at TISS Mumbai through a series of papers, exhibitions, monographs and a theatrical production.
“This is not your usual discrimination study—there is a diversity in our approach to discrimination. At the heart of this project is to create an archive of the lives of people,” Gautam Bhan, one of the urban researchers from the team told the Hindustan Times.
In a step towards gender exclusivity, in April this year, TISS had introduced gender neutral hostels. The space on the ground floor of the girls’ hostel has been marked as gender neutral space and made available for students who identify as transgender, non-binary genders and gender non-confirming students, according to a report by the Indian Express.
Recently there has been a rise in the incidents pertaining to atrocities against the LGBTQ community in India.
In Kolkata last week, a trans gender teacher opened up about the harassment she faced while going for job interviews at different school in spite of her high qualifications and teaching experience.
In Kolkata last week, a trans gender teacher opened up about the harassment she faced while going for job interviews at different school in spite of her high qualifications and teaching experience. Source: Indian Express.
“My educational qualification or 10 years of experience didn’t matter to them. When they looked at me, all they could see was a man who had transformed into a woman. Nothing else mattered because if one belongs to the third gender in this country, ridicule is a way of life,” Suchitra told The Indian Express.
In another incident in Ahmedabad, a lesbian couple killed themselves by jumping into the Sabarmati river after tossing the three-year-old daughter of one of the deceased, into it on June 12. “The two women committed suicide due to complications arising out of their lesbian relationship,” the police had said. The official added one of the women threw the child into the river before jumping into it with her lover, who was tied to her with a dupatta.
(By Shreya Bansal)
