The Supreme Court has reserved its verdict on the same-sex marriage case. As a nation, we are trying to get same-sex marriage legal validation. Some are in favour, some are not.
An High Court advocate Rohini Vakil, says, “Situation for LGBTQIA+ community has not improved much despite removal of IPC 377. The Central and State Government has failed to make any special provisions for upliftment of LGBTQIA+ people. Though many support the rights of the community people but they are not vocal or louder in their actions.”
Despite being in the 21st century, the LGBTQIA+ community is still struggling to get their basic rights. How many of us know the ABCs of LGBTQIA+? We know that there are people who consider themselves community members. But do we really know the community well?
Do you know that earlier, only four letters were commonly used to group various sexual and gender minorities: L, G, B, and T? With time, the established L.G.B.T. abbreviation has acquired a few extra letters and a cluster of ancillary terminology around both sexuality and gender. LGBTQIA+ stands for L- Lesbian, G- Gay, B- Bisexual, T- Trans, Q- Queer, I- Intersex, A- Ally (or asexual, depending on whom you’re talking to), and the plus sign is meant to cover anyone else who is not included in the term. But all these gender and sexual identities are not limited to them. There are numerous genders and sexualities that comprise the LGBTQIA+ community.
Sometimes individuals misunderstand the gender of the community and judge it accordingly. "I have many friends from the LGBTQIA+ community. I have heard many people mention that they are rude and that their personalities are not good. But this is not true at all. They are like us humans. I hang out with my friends, and I get to know more about the community. Sometimes, I get confused as there are many genders and sexualities, like non-binary, cisgender, pansexual, etc. So, I ask my friends about these terms, and they explain them to me." says Om Patel, a 28-year-old artist.
Times and attitudes have evolved, and the language used to discuss sexual orientation and gender identity has also altered. Many new sexualities are included under the queer umbrella (the queer umbrella is inclusive of everything, even straight). You can identify some people easily, but sometimes it’s confusing because some don’t like to fall under any category (he or she), so you can address them by they or them.
In nature, there are variations and diversities when it comes to gender and sexuality in all species. Harish Iyer, an Indian equal rights activist, opines, "When it comes to the actual act of sex. Not everyone feels sexual in the same way or feels sexual toward the same kind of people. As language and signs have evolved, we have categorized them under different names and with different feelings. Similarly, there is variety and diversity in gender and sexuality. This is what we are asking the Supreme Court to recognize: diversity in nature. The right to marry should be conferred upon two persons who are adults.”
Everyone has the right to marry the person of their choice, and it is a personal decision. Apart from your close ones, it’s not mandatory for everyone to know your gender or sexuality. It’s not important for you to disclose your sexuality as a personal matter, at your work place. “When I labour for the country, I labour as a person; it is my body that gives you my labour and my gender is immaterial in such circumstances,” Harish mentions.
It’s important to refer to members of the LGBTQIA+ community. If you don’t know how to refer to a community member, ask how to.
Avin, a 22-year-old gay man, avers, "As being gay, many people thought I would like to called as she/her, but no! I’m HE. And that’s my pronoun.” Many people these days are at a stage where they are exploring their sexuality, so the best way to know is to ask them in a friendly way, ‘How do you like to be addressed?’
“Even I as a community member get confuse about these sexuality terms but I politely ask them or have a conversation with them. Then I get to know about their pronouns and sexuality,” Avin adds.
So next time, if you are talking to someone from the community for the very first time, always start with your introduction. It’s better to be clear from your side, only then the other person will open up. Community people are open about their sexuality, and during a small but meaningful conversation, they will let you know about themselves.
LGBTQIA+ community vocabulary
BISEXUAL: A person who is attracted to people of their own gender or other gender identities
PANSEXUAL: A person who is attracted to people of all gender identities
ASEXUAL: A person who experience no sexual attraction. It shouldn’t be confused with romantic people
TRANSGENDER: People whose gender identification or gender expression differs from their biological sex
CISGENDER: Person’s gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth
NONBINARY: A person who doesn’t identify as either male or female and perceives themselves as non-binary in terms of gender
QUEER: A person who doesn’t identify as heterosexual or cisgender
