In India, a gay prince’s coming out earns accolades, and enemies

Prince Manvendra’s journey from an excruciatingly lonely child to a global L.G.B.T.Q. advocate included death threats and disinheritance.

Born into a royal family that once ruled the kingdom of Rajpipla in India, he was raised in the family’s palaces and mansions and was being groomed to take over a dynasty that goes back 600 years.

But then he gave an interview that prompted his mother to disown him and set off protests in his hometown, where he was burned in effigy.

Since coming out as gay in that 2006 interview, Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil has faced a torrent of bullying and threats, and was disinherited by his family for a period.

But he has also earned global accolades for his L.G.B.T.Q. advocacy, becoming one of the few gay-rights activists in the world with such royal ties.

Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil outside his home in Gujarat, India, this month. Credit... Atul Loke for The New York Times

As part of his efforts, Prince Manvendra, 55, has appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” three times, swapped life stories with Kris Jenner on “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and is working to establish a shelter for L.G.B.T.Q. people on his property in the Indian state of Gujarat. He is also working with several aid agencies to prevent the spread of H.I.V. among gay men.

Prince Manvendra and his husband, deAndre Richardson, have spent the last few months in lockdown getting the shelter ready. They envision a safe space where those who have been disowned by their families can get back on their feet and learn job skills.

Prince Manvendra at the Amsterdam Gay Pride festival in 2018. Credit... Shutterstock

“I know how important it is to have a safe space after coming out,” the prince said.

Although India abolished the princely order in 1971, the honorary titles are still commonly used for royal descendants, and traditional responsibilities are still carried out.

When the prince shared that he was gay in that front-page newspaper interview 14 years ago, it created a storm of mostly negative publicity. It was shocking for a member of an Indian royal family, especially one from the rigidly conservative Rajput warrior clan that once ruled over large parts of northern and central India, to come out so publicly. Being gay was a criminal offense in India under the archaic British law in effect at the time. The law was struck down in 2018.

Prince Manvendra playing the harmonium for his husband, deAndre Richardson. Credit... Atul Loke for The New York Times

The fallout from his announcement was brutal, beginning with protests in his hometown, Rajpipla, where he was burned in effigy. His mother took out a newspaper advertisement to announce she was disowning him.

The government offered him security after he received several death threats, but he turned down the offer and refused to back down. “I decided that I would continue fighting because I have truth on my side,” he said.

The prince at 2. He said his only friends as a young child were the birds and other animals he rescued.

Prince Manvendra was born in 1965 to Raghubir Singh Gohil, the current honorary maharajah of Rajpipla, and Rukmani Devi Gohil, the daughter of the former maharajah of Jaisalmer.

By that time, the era of fabulously rich Indian maharajahs had already waned. His great-grandfather’s ostentatious display of wealth, with stables of racehorses and garages filled with Rolls-Royces (nearly a dozen), was no longer welcome in a newly independent India where socialism, austerity and self-sufficiency were the new mantras.

Although Prince Manvendra’s family no longer ruled a kingdom, the old ways still largely prevailed. He spent most of his childhood in his family’s seven-bedroom mansion in Mumbai, staffed by servants who had worked for the family for generations. He barely saw his parents and was raised primarily by the same nanny who had raised his mother.

“Until I was 9 or 10, I thought my nanny was my mother,” he said. “I didn’t realize that the glamorous woman who appeared once in a while was actually my mother.”

The young prince with his parents, Raghubir Singh Gohil and Rukmani Devi Gohil, and his sister Minaxi in Rajpipla, India, in 1976.

The lack of parental love still wounds him. “Why do parents give birth to children if they don’t want to take care of them?” he said.

His childhood was excruciatingly lonely. His only friends were the birds and other animals he rescued as a young child. “I grew up with literally no friends, because I knew I couldn’t invite anyone home,” he said, because he was allowed to socialize only with children from a similar background.

He earned a college degree in commerce and accounting and went on to complete law school, although he has never practiced law.

In 1991, he married Chandrika Kumari, a princess from the royal family of Jhabua, a match entered into voluntarily, he emphasized.

“I was attracted to men but I thought it was just a passing phase,” he said. “I had never been allowed to spend time alone with a girl, and sex before marriage was out of the question.”

Being gay was not a possibility that ever crossed his mind, he said, because he knew nothing about it.

The couple at home. Credit... Atul Loke for The New York Times

“Once we got married, it became clear to me that I wasn’t interested in women sexually,” he said. “We were very good friends, we got along very well, but there was no sexual attraction.”

The couple called it quits 15 months later, a split that caused an uproar in royal circles. After the divorce, he said, he was wracked with guilt and confused about his sexuality. He moved back to Mumbai, a 26-year-old divorced virgin, and started exploring his sexuality for the first time.

“I started reading books and magazines. I saw an article about Ashok Row Kavi and his gay magazine Bombay Dost. I decided to get in touch with him and ask him if I could possibly be gay,” he recalled.

Mr. Kavi is a father of India’s gay-rights movement. In 1977, he came out publicly and went on to found Bombay Dost, India’s first gay magazine, in 1990. He founded the Humsafar Trust, the first group to provide health services and advocacy for gay men, in 1994.

Mr. Kavi introduced Prince Manvendra to other people in the community and trained him as a counselor. He remembers the young prince as a painfully shy introvert, who was slowly starting to become comfortable with his identity. He said the prince quietly funded the first telephone help line for gay people in India.

In 2000, with Mr. Kavi’s encouragement, the prince started the Lakshya Trust in Gujarat to help the gay community there.

The work was fulfilling, but as a closeted gay man, the prince said, it became increasingly difficult to do the advocacy work needed for Lakshya. And there was growing pressure to remarry.

After he suffered a nervous breakdown in 2002, his psychiatrist convinced him the first step in his recovery was to come out to his parents.

It was the beginning of a long and bitter ordeal. “My parents were in an absolute state of denial,” Prince Manvendra said. “They declared that science must have a cure for my condition, a surgery perhaps or shock therapy to cure my ‘disease.’”

But every doctor his parents consulted told them the same thing — homosexuality was not a disease or a mental disorder. His parents finally gave up on medical science and decided to try religion instead. For three years, they took him to dozens of religious leaders around the country.

“Ashok told me to cooperate with them completely,” the prince said. “To let them be satisfied that they’d tried their best.”

There were financial consequences to his coming out. He says that he was removed from several family businesses and that his mother threatened to persuade the government to cancel funding for the Lakshya Trust.

“I finally reached a point in my life where I couldn’t take it anymore,” he said. “I decided to tell the whole world.”

Prince Manvendra in front of the remains of his royal palace on the banks of Narmada in Gujarat. Credit... Atul Loke for The New York Times

Over the past 14 years, the once-shy royal has grown accustomed to the spotlight and become a vocal activist for the gay rights movement. Apart from his work with the Lakshya Trust, he is a founding member of the Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health and is an ambassador consultant of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

“He was living a very troubled life, under a lot of pressure,” said Chirantana Bhatt, a close friend. “But now it’s a life of pride, in the true sense.”

He has also found love. In 2013, he married Mr. Richardson, an American he met online in 2009, in the United States. The couple live on an estate in Gujarat given to the prince by his father. His modest brick house there is a far cry from the opulent palace of his ancestors, but he says he could not be happier.

His father, the maharajah, acknowledged in an interview that it was difficult for the family to come to terms with his son’s sexuality and the constant media attention on the family.

“But it’s his decision,” the maharajah said.

His relationship with his mother remains frosty, but other members of the family have been supportive, he says. His grandmother, on her deathbed, expressed her happiness that he had found a partner to share his life with.

Prince Manvendra is cautiously optimistic about the future. He is not sure if he will become the next honorary maharajah of Rajpipla. “I have left it to my family members,” he said. “I would prefer to keep working for my cause because the role of maharajah comes with a lot of responsibilities and duties that would divert me from my activism.”

(Source: NYT)

Why Sridevi inspired the LGBT: An excerpt from Lalita Iyer’s book

For a generation of queer people in India, Sridevi was an icon. Her electric appearances on screen, coupled with her often outlandish costumes and dance steps, set them free. Sridevi’s characters were never passive, never simply black or white, and this resonated with members of the LGBT community who were coming to terms with their own identities. She was a hero, an artist and a star who unconsciously helped them deal with their problems through her depiction of people in conflict.

Those who grew up with her songs swore by her. ‘When our homes were prisons and our families chains, Sridevi set us free. Her songs gave us fleeting glimpses of how the world would be if we could dance like we wanted to, and wear the clothes our hearts desired. In her often garish, kitschy performances, we saw the promise of a future where we wouldn’t lie about who we were and what we liked,’ journalist and queer activist Dhrubo Jyoti wrote in the Hindustan Times after Sridevi’s death in February 2018.

For Indian queer men, Sridevi provided a vocabulary which allowed them to protest and enact their deep erotic desires through dance

In ChaalBaaz, the demure Anju (Sridevi) suffers endless oppression, fit-inducing injections and lashes from a whip by her tormentor Tribhuvan (Anupam Kher), who is her chachaji. Dance is her only escape that she practises in secrecy. However, one day, at a party, Anju inadvertently breaks into a dance which intensifies into a tandav and ends with a resounding slap on the uncle’s face. Though unintentional, this marks a dramatic moment of triumph against an invincible oppressor. The dance becomes an exaggerated expression of her resentment.

There was, of course, in the ’80s, Dimple Kapadia and Padmini Kolhapure, who were popular among the LGBT community for the Bombino videos of their songs, but Sridevi was different. Harish Iyer, popular LGBT activist who first came to public attention in 2012 on Satyamev Jayate, hosted by actor Aamir Khan, is a Sridevi fan. Sridevi made a special appearance on the show to meet Iyer, who spoke about his child sexual abuse. ‘Whenever we are challenged with anything in life, cinema serves as an escape mechanism. For me, it was so important to build this alternative reality around me, especially at a time when I was getting raped and coming home. For me, to forget all that and believe in a world where anything was possible was very important, and Sridevi made me believe in that.’

‘When Nagina, the movie, released, I was young and impressionable. I witnessed Sridevi break into a “nagin dance” when Amrish Puri aka the “Snake Charmer” had come to disarm her. Her dance unconsciously portrayed my angst. I was mad at the world for trying to condition me. I was more than just a man. My feminine side wanted to be like her,’ said Harish. When I interviewed him for this book, he told me about the fights between the ‘Madhuri versus Sridevi’ factions among queeristanis. Harish recalled, ‘I remember I stopped talking to a few of my friends who switched sides. That time, the newer LGBT lot had developed a fondness for Madhuri. We used to have huge debates, which often resulted in throwing things at each other.’

Unlike Madhuri, who was an exponent of Kathak, or her south Indian contemporaries like Meenakshi Seshadri, Jaya Prada, Bhanupriya or Radha, Sridevi was not a trained dancer. What she had was an innate, untutored talent for dance despite never having studied it formally. Although dancing in a few songs in every film and working with a range of choreographers with different styles should be considered training enough. Her grace, rhythm and expressiveness were certainly natural attributes, and added to that was a combination of innocence, oomph and sparkle. She never went through the rigor of working with a guru in one style, which made her performances (and her, in them) unique. In a TV interview to Doordarshan in the 1980s, she had said, ‘I didn’t learn dancing. I didn’t have a guru. In the south it’s very important that every family should have a guru. But somehow, miss ho gaya. But I love dancing and I enjoy it. That is more important, I feel.’

Excerpted from ‘Sridevi: Queen of Hearts’ by Lalita Iyer, to be published by Westland in September 2018.

(Source: She the People TV)

Vogue cover features Indigenous transgender 'Muxe' from Mexico for first time

The iconic fashion magazine shines a light on Mexico's "third' gender

Vogue has featured a “muxe” - an indigenous transgender woman from Mexico - as its cover star for the first time.

Muxes (pronounced ‘moo-she’) have a unique gender identity that mixes gay male and feminine characteristics and is sometimes referred to as a “third” gender.

Both the British and Mexican editions of the magazine will carry the image of of Estrella Vasquez, a weaver and designer from Oaxaca, a southern Mexican state that is home to the largest muxe community in the country, although British Vogue will feature it inside the magazine.

The photo marks the first instance in Vogue’s 120-year publication history that a muxe has been placed on the cover.

“I think it’s a huge step,” 37-year-old Vazquez - who had never heard of Vogue when she was approached for the shoot - said.

“There’s still discrimination [in Mexico], but it’s not as much now and you don’t see it like you once did.

“Everyone is seeing this cover, everyone is congratulating me. I don’t know; it’s just hard to make sense of the emotions I’m feeling. It almost makes me want to cry,” she added.

The full shoot, shot by photographer Tim Walker, features a dozen muxes in traditional indigenous dress and is an attempt by Vogue to highlight the remarkable singularity of muxe culture, which is specific to Mexico.

"We're delighted to collaborate with Vogue Mexico for the first time ever on this amazing fashion shoot featuring members of Oaxaca’s indigenous muxe community," a British Vogue spokesperson told The Independent.

Muxes last made international news for their prominent role in rescue efforts following the 2017 Juchitan earthquake.

#MUXE’ Naa: Érase una vez una tierra llena de magia, filigranas en oro e iguanas, en la que la cálida brisa aún susurra LEYENDAS al oído de los transeúntes. Desde tiempos INMEMORIALES, comienza la historia del tercer género y llega a la PORTADA de @voguemexico, Diciembre 2019. pic.twitter.com/OLghjXe5YJ

— Vogue Mex y Latam (@VogueMexico) 18 November 2019

Many dug through rubble with their bare hands and lead organising efforts after the disaster.

However, outside the quais-matriarchal indigenous community, minority persecution in Mexico persists, which has some of the highest rates of crime in the world against individuals who identify as LGBT.

One LGBT person was murdered every three to four days between 2014 and 2016 in the country.

(Source: Independent) 

Apple introduces non-binary emojis with new set of inclusive faces

While celebrated, some in the LGBTQ community say it reinforces a fixed idea of what gender-neutral people should look like

Apple has expanded its emoji offerings on Monday to include non-binary versions of nearly every human emoji, including non-binary couple pairings.

The 328 new emoji designs came with the release of the company’s latest software update iOS 13.2. The non-binary emojis even extend to fantastical creatures such as merpeople, fae, and vampires.

The addition comes after Google offered Android users their own non-binary emojis in May.

Apple’s new inclusive designs allow for a choice of non-binary people and couples. Photograph: Emojipedia/emojipedia.org

Many in the LGBTQ community are celebrating the new additions, which expand on the inclusivity and diversity of the emoji library. In 2015, Apple released increased skin tone options for its human emojis.

But some are critical of the non-binary emojis for reinforcing a fixed idea of what gender-nonconforming people “look” like.

I feel very critical of this bc i feel like it reinforces the idea that nonbinary/gnc people should have a particular look ? Like how do u determine that these emojis are how gender-neutrality should be represented or that these emojis even represent most gnc people https://t.co/S0zyDMXliU

— s*nya (@lavenderblunt) 28 October 2019

Gender inclusivity has become a new focus for brands and companies. The dating app Tinder recently allowed users to display their sexual and gender identities. Last year, fast-fashion giant H&M launched a gender-neutral fashion collection. And Mattel, the maker of Barbie and G.I. Joe, released a line of gender-neutral dolls last month.

The new iOS 13.2 update also includes emojis that represent people who use wheelchairs, walking cane, hearing aids, and mechanical arms and legs.

However, there are still improvements to be made. There are only five skin tones to choose from when it comes to human emojis. And some have criticized programmers for only allowing “raceless” (what many call the default yellow skin tone of Apple’s emojis) options for partner pairings and families.

There are some unexpected, highly specific new emojis as well, including a snorkel, a yo-yo, a banjo, and a juice box.

According to Emojipedia, the “Wikipedia” of emojis, there are now 3,178 emojis. In 2010, there were 625.

(Source: The Guardian)

Lawyers behind historic Section 377 verdict come out as a couple

In an interview to CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on 18 July, Supreme Court lawyers, Menaka Gurswamy and Arundhati Katju opened up as being a couple.

Last year the Indian Supreme Court read down the draconian Section 377. Menaka Guruswamy and Arundhati Katju had spearheaded the legal challenge to strike down Section 377 of IPC.

The duo highlighted those who suffered under the law by enlisting more than two dozen gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people as co-petitioners. They contested that people risked arrest for publicly identifying themselves as part of the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) community.

“The loss in 2013 was a loss as lawyers, a loss as citizens. It was a personal loss. It is not nice to be a ‘criminal’ who has to go back to court as a lawyer to argue other cases.”
Menaka Guruswami to CNN

The judgement's relevance to the Global South pic.twitter.com/10xMOiiisy

— Saurabh Vashist (@saurabhvashist_) 18 July 2019

@MenakaGuruswamy @arundhatikatju Just posting a thread of this fascinating discussion on a judgement that continues to have profound relevance for the jurisprudence in the Global South and how this case was argued in the Supreme Court. pic.twitter.com/DG52vdpYFo

— Saurabh Vashist (@saurabhvashist_) 18 July 2019

Soon after the video was aired, the duo took to Twitter to tweet about #SareeTwitter.

Most court days you'll find me in a sari! Something about the 6 yards makes me sit up a little straighter, collect my thoughts and energy for arguments... #SareeTwitter pic.twitter.com/U9HDEyT70C

— arundhatikatju (@arundhatikatju) 18 July 2019

These women are sure breaking the glass ceiling and have paved the way for many more to do the same!

On 6 September the Indian Supreme Court struck down the draconian Victorian era law that criminalized homosexuality.

It emphatically overruled its regressive Koushal judgment of 2013, which had upheld Section 377 of the IPC in its entirety, allowing it to be used to punish even consensual same-sex acts.

History was made. It is no longer a criminal offense to be gay in India.

The Supreme Court of India delivered a landmark judgment, decriminalising a 157-year-old British-era law that criminalised even consensual homosexual relations.

The Constitution Bench, comprising Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, as well as Justices Rohinton Nariman, DY Chandrachud, AM Khanwilkar and Indu Malhotra delivered a unanimous judgment.

“First step towards vanquishing enemies of prejudice and injustice has to be taken”, read the judgment. We must get rid of prejudice and discrimination. Concept of Constitutional morality creates responsibility of State to protect. Fidelity to constitutional morality must not be confused with popular sentiment.”
Justice DY Chandrachud

(Source: The Quint) 

No sensation: The new photo library of everyday trans life

Struck by the lack of pictures of trans and non-binary people doing normal things, artist-activist Zackary Drucker created a database of free-access images 

Best known as a co-producer of the TV series Transparent, Zackary Drucker is an artist-activist who has devoted her career to making the world less grey and lonely for people who, like her, define themselves as transgender or non-binary. Her photographic and video artwork has been shown at the Whitney Biennial in New York, the Venice Biennale and nominated for an Emmy. But in one of her most recent projects, she has resorted to direct action, creating an open-access database of pictures available to any media outlet, anywhere in the world, wishing to represent people who don’t fit into traditional gender moulds.

The Gender Spectrum Collection was initiated by editors of the news website Vice, who found there were no quality stock pictures available from photo agencies to illustrate media stories about those who fell outside binary norms.

“There are so few images of trans and gender non-conforming people in stock imagery. Typing transgender into a search engine yields results that are generic – a white trans woman in front of a trans flag, and that’s pretty much it,” says Drucker. “We were interested in revealing trans and non-binary people in everyday life: falling in love, taking selfies, gossiping, going to school, waiting for a bus. Our identities are so often sensationalised, but we navigate the world and are embedded in society in ordinary ways.”

 ‘These are very safe images, of good-looking young people doing normal things… and that is precisely the point.’ All images by Zackary Drucker as part of Broadly’s The Gender Spectrum Collection. Photograph: Zackary Drucker/The Gender Spectrum Collection

They signed up 15 models, who are pictured at work and at play in seven categories, from relationships to school, work, health and moods. Provided you are prepared to suspend the preconceptions of the binary world, these are very safe images – of good-looking young people doing normal things – with none of the camp wit or edgy eroticism of Drucker’s artwork. And that is precisely the point of them.

In a sense, the Gender Spectrum Collection is a mirror of her fabric-printed collages, in which she appropriates images of trans people from vintage magazines. “The history of gender-diverse people is spread out and not cohesive, so it’s not easy to find,” she says. “I’ve always believed that understanding the history and tradition you come from gives you a sense of solidity and strength. These magazines are the closest thing we have to a documentation of our community.”

Drucker’s most recent art show, as part of a group exhibition at London’s Gazelli Art House called It’s Not Me, It’s You, included two films that are a tribute to her mother, Penny Sori, whom she describes as her muse: “She was really wonderful when I was a young person. I wouldn’t say everything was completely fine, because it’s a learning process and our children teach us how to shepherd them into the world. But so many trans people don’t have the support of their parents, and it makes all the difference in the world to know that you are coming from a place of peace and acceptance.”

But transitioning from one sex to another is not easy, and Drucker made the point in a collaboration with a fashion photographer friend, Luke Gilford, for which she was covered with long white hair. In I Am the Lover Inside of You (The Barrier Between Us Too), her hirsute face is intimately probed by surgical-gloved hands; in This Is What It Looks Like (To Go from One Thing to Everything), she lies forlornly in bed, presumably post-operative.

But it is another autobiographical project that takes outsiders most deeply into her world. As a man transitioning to a woman, she was in a relationship with a woman transitioning to a man. Her partner, Rhys Ernst, was also an artist, and together they chronicled their six-year relationship in thousands of photographs, a small selection of which were shown at the Whitney Biennial in 2014, and two years later became a book.

One of their most moving pictures is a moody-blues tableau in which a topless Drucker flaunts her budding breasts to the camera, her shadow falling across the chest of Ernst, who looks adoringly on, his top lip shaded by a wisp of moustache. It’s such a beautifully composed, tender image that I wonder if they were deliberately recording a second adolescence? Absolutely not, says Drucker. “Our intention was to create images of the pure joy of being seen by each other. But Rhys and I were aware that so few images of trans people loving each other existed in the world. Of course there’s a rich history, but how do you know it exists if there’s no representation?”

The couple’s big representational breakthrough came through a connection with Jill Soloway, creator of Transparent. “Rhys and I had existed on the periphery of Hollywood in independent queer art circles, and it was the first time anyone had invited us in,” she says. “For so long, film and television were pandering to the status quo in the hope that it would reach everyone; but the more specific you are, the more it grounds people. Transparent ushered in a golden age where experiences that would have been considered niche became universal.”

It was a cultural breakthrough fuelled by the then new technology of streaming, spreading around the world as one of the first hits on Amazon Prime with a healthy presence on social media. In the Gender Spectrum Collection, technology gets its own section, with tableaux ranging from two kids avidly gaming in their living room to lovers reading together from a phone, and neon-haired revellers posing for a group selfie.

“Social media has created this space where we can perform our idealised selves and really tailor and customise what people see and how they see us. It’s a very exciting prospect,” says Drucker.

So how does her autobiographical art relate to the selfie culture featured in the collection?

“As an artist with a traditional photography background, I still think of image-making as a more carefully rendered thing, though our visual lexicon is more advanced because of the number of images we see, and that doesn’t mean I don’t take a selfie every now and then and send it to someone,” she says. But some things remain the same: “When people ask me how I identify, I always say ‘As human’.”

(Source: The Guardian)

The story of Australia's oldest LGBTI bookstore

"People have a sense of ownership when they come here," says Les McDonald. "A sense that it is a place for them to learn about themselves and their history."

McDonald is talking about The Bookshop, the business he and Wayne Harrison opened in Sydney, Australia, in 1982, two years before New South Wales decriminalised sex between men.

"Wayne and I co-founded The Bookshop because we travelled to New York and we noticed that gay books were being advertised in all of the gay press and we thought: 'No-one's doing that at home.'

"So we contacted St Martin's Press [in New York] and we bought a couple of books in volume, shipped them back to Australia and advertised them in Campaign [a gay Australian newspaper at the time]. From that, we formed two book clubs - the Gay Book Club and the Lesbian Book Club - and we did a lot of mail order."

Wayne Harrison and Les McDonald opened their first shop in 1982

The demand for LGBTI books among an Australian readership was clearly high, as "the mail order took over our home", says McDonald.

So he and Harrison opened their first shop, on Sydney's Crown Street. In 1984 they moved to Oxford Street, where they've been ever since.

The Bookshop is now one of the last-standing LGBTI bookstores in the world.

"It was the time before computers and apps and all that sort of thing," explains McDonald. "The bars were all really busy, the streets were teeming with people, and The Bookshop became a sort of a central meeting place in the heart of it."

The Bookshop was a vital resource for people who wanted guidance and help about coming out.

"When HIV/Aids happened, it became a lot more crucial to have a physical place that had information about that," says McDonald. "Titles about HIV/Aids were not being published in Australia, and we had to go to the US to find them."

Through the 1980s, The Bookshop worked with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, selling tickets to the parade from its upstairs office, and with Aids Council of New South Wales (ACON), promoting fundraising events and rallies.

ACON events manager David Wilkins says The Bookshop was important to the development of Mardi Gras, which began as a commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York. He recalls "queues around the block" for tickets.

"It was a community space, a hub," he adds.

"Plus," remembers Wilkins, "in the 1960s and 70s, you had to bribe police if you were going to run an out, gay business in the community. Les paved the way for other LGBT businesses."

'A space to cope with life'
The Bookshop has also functioned as an information hub for queer scholars and thinkers from around the world.

Hendri Yulius, a writer and academic from Indonesia, first visited The Bookshop in 2013. He didn't then know the store would become his "second home" while undertaking graduate study in Sydney a few years later.

"Back in my country, queer sexuality has never been openly discussed, and is even considered taboo," he says.

"The shop offers not only books but also a space to cope with life, however little and temporary that is. A few times, I helped The Bookshop in its events, talked to those older gay men, and saw how relieved they were to be able to speak to someone else."

With the internet came change - not just for The Bookshop, but for LGBTI communities around the world. People were suddenly connected in ways that were previously impossible, and The Bookshop was quick to embrace that shift.

"In the early 90s, we were one of the first bookshops to have an actual website," says McDonald.

However Graeme Aitken, the shop's long-time buyer and manager, is quick to point out: "Though you would think everyone is on the internet these days, I can tell you that they are not."

"We have quite a large proportion of customers who are older, or from rural places with slow internet. Or [others] who call us because they have a family member that they think might need help coming to terms with their sexuality or gender."

Noel Lee says he loves helping people wanting to support their LGBTI loved ones

William Brougham, who has patronised The Bookshop for over 15 years, says there is a "certain magic" about browsing queer books in a physical bookshop, "which cannot be recreated online".

"Not everyone in our community necessarily feels comfortable in LGBTIQ bars or clubs but they can come to The Bookshop for a bit of an escape, a look around and a chat with the staff. Going there can feel like catching up with friends," he explains.

Noel Lee, who has been The Bookshop's floor manager for 17 years, recalls many sweet instances of customers contacting the store so that they might better support LGBTI family members.

"I had a mother call from north Queensland, saying that she thought her son might be gay and she wanted to know how to talk to him about it and make him feel safe, because his dad might not be as OK with it," he says.

"It's those kinds of moments that get me all emotional and thankful. That's when you really connect with love in this job."

It's not just familial love that the store embraces, though. The Bookshop is also the place where Lee met his partner: "I picked him up over the counter," he laughs.

These days Sydney is reasonably safe for LGBTI folk to be themselves anywhere, but it's still places like The Bookshop, says McDonald, that bring queer people and allies into a sense of lived community.

"There is a multiplicity of ways of being LGBTQI, and when you come here, to this space, you can find all of them," he says.

(Source: BBC)

Chennai's Loyola College opens its gates for transgender students

Mirthulla and Diya are all set to pursue their dreams. The two transgenders will walk into a college along with other students to pursue higher education.

Mirthulla and Diya are all set to pursue their dreams. The two transgenders will walk into a college along with other students to pursue higher education. Loyola College has given admission to the two in undergraduate courses. Nineteen-year-old Mirthulla will pursue Bachelor in Multimedia (BMM) and 21-year-old Diya will pursue a Bachelor in French Literature.

“The two students have been given admission on basis of their merit. Both are on par with other students and they deserve to study in our college,” said Justin Prabhu, an official of Loyola College.

The two transgender students Mirthulla and Diya along with Loyola College principal A Thomas and other officials. (Photo| ENS)

The college will provide a scholarship. Undaunted by rejection, social stigma and poverty, the duo did not give up on their dream and knew that the only way to reach there is by pursuing higher education.

“I always aspired to be a journalist as I can highlight the plight and problems of my community members through my work. I want to improve mine and their lives with my articles,” said Mirthulla, a native of Vellore.

“My family rejected me so I am living along with others like me. I want to change the way the society thinks about us,” said Mirthulla. Diya said, “I wanted to study French literature as it will open up new avenues for me. Even I can go abroad and work.”She passed her class 12 in 2013 but was not able to study further as she was not getting the appropriate opportunity.

However, with the help of some social organisations, she got admission in Loyola College.“Pursuing higher education is not easy for transgenders. Acceptance in colleges, dealing with taunts and sarcastic glances is not at all easy and adding to it we are not able to bear the financial burden as a majority of transgenders are abandoned by their families. We convey our thanks to Loyola College authorities who have provided scholarship to these two students,” said Andriya, a transgender who works for the cause of others.

Loyola College authorities said this was not the first time that they had given admissions to a transgender.
“So far, at least five to six transgenders have passed from our institution. We closely work with NGOs working for transgenders and give adequate importance to such students to make them part of mainstream society, said Justin.

(Source: TNIE)

Sexism, slander, hatred: Sri Lanka’s culture of online abuse

From politicians to members of the LGBTQI community, social media in Sri Lanka is a hotbed of harassment and hostility

The threats began after Jegatheeswaram Jeyachandrika decided to contest local government elections.

Clutching a file of printouts, Meena, as she is known, points to a Facebook post in which she is pictured, circled in red, among a group of people.

“We opened some new shops that day, part of a collective project,” she says. “This post implies that I’m the mistress of one of the ministers in the photo.”

That was one of the milder offerings. Meena has been called a sex worker, among other things, and hateful comments have been made towards her immediate family. Several volunteers helping with her campaign dropped out following the repeated threats.

Stones have been thrown at Meena’s house, and flyers containing defamatory claims against her have been distributed. She went to the police, but received no response to her complaints. As with the Facebook posts, there have been no consequences for the perpetrators.

A mobile browser unable to connect to Facebook after Sri Lanka’s government shut down the platform in response to unrest following the Easter Sunday attacks. Photograph: Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP/Getty Images

“Unless people take action, how are women to move forward?” she asks, adding that such incidents only push women out of politics. Despite the recent implementation of a 25% quota for female representation in local government in Sri Lanka, significant barriers to equal political participation remain.

But Meena’s story also highlights the pervasive nature of online violence in Sri Lanka – and the inability of state mechanisms to respond effectively to it.

Researchers have found that, in Sri Lanka, a culture of casual sexism, misogyny and objectification prevails on Facebook, which is by far the country’s most widely used social media platform, with more than 6 million users as of 2018. Leaked intimate photos and videos of young girls are also shared on the platform.

“Boys befriend girls and coerce them into sending them their nude photos. Once the relationship goes bad, they leak them online … 17-year-old girls have taken their own lives over cases like this,” says Ananthi*, an activist.

In Sri Lanka, where same-sex relationships have not yet been decriminalised, members of the LGBTIQ community also face threats including surveillance, extortion, discrimination and online sexual abuse and exploitation.

Sometimes this surveillance occurs at family and community level, but rights organisations such as Equal Ground have also reported intimidation, violence and discrimination against individuals and groups on the basis of sexual orientation, both offline and on social media.

Facebook has also been used to amplify hate and misinformation. Following the devastating suicide bomb attacks on churches and hotels on Easter Sunday, the government responded by twice blocking Facebook and Facebook-owned platforms Instagram and WhatsApp. It first adopted this approach in March 2018, in the aftermath of riots targeting the Muslim community, claiming that this helped to curb hate and misinformation. However, research shows that people have found ways to continue posting online.

In April 2018, 13 Sri Lankan civil society organisations wrote an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook CEO, expressing “deep frustration” over the platform’s “little to no support” for attempts to report content on gender-based violence, violence against the LGBTIQ community and hate speech, particularly in local languages like Sinhalese and Tamil. Facebook responded, promising to increase content reviewers and work with government and civil society to curb hate speech and better understand the local context, including training their staff to identify inflammatory content in local languages, especially Sinhalese.

Yet the problem persists.

Sri Lanka’s own penal code has several sections that can be used to address different aspects of technology-based violence, and it is a signatory to a number of international conventions, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

“Various government bodies together with civil society partners are in the midst of conducting research on prevalence and varied manifestations of cyber harassment and violence,” says Hans Billimoria, director of the Grassrooted Trust. “That said, civil society partners on the ground and those at the forefront of the struggle against gender-based and intimate partner violence still lack the information they need to fully support victims and their families.”

Those who do report online violence often get no response – that is, if they know where to go in the first place. The main body tasked with dealing with such issues, the cyber crimes division of the criminal investigation department, is based in Colombo, and those living outside the capital have to travel there to make a report. Those reporting instances of leaked intimate images said the insensitivity of officers handling their cases often caused fresh trauma.

Meena says her experiences left her needing counselling. “I expected nearly 1,000 votes [in the election]. Because of the slander and harassment in real life, that number fell by more than half. Now, I’m left with my 333 votes, and a file full of printouts of the harassment that I have received online.”

• Name has been changed

(Source: The Guardian)

Why are some places gay-friendly and not others?

When Taiwan became the first place in Asia to legalise same-sex unions, hundreds of gay people marked the occasion by registering to marry.

It marked a significant change on the island, where the majority of people only relatively recently became supportive of same-sex relationships.

In many other places there has also been a shift - often a rapid one - towards more liberal attitudes.

For example, in 2007, one in five South Koreans said homosexuality should be accepted, -but, by 2013, that figure had doubled.

Attitudes among the public also appear to have softened in other places including Argentina, Chile, the US, Australia, India and many in Western Europe.

But these changes do not always mean full equality. In Taiwan, for example, the government stopped short of granting full adoption rights.

Elsewhere, some nations are bringing in stricter anti-gay laws and same-sex relationships remain illegal in about 69 countries. On Friday, Kenya's High Court upheld a law banning gay sex.

Pockets of opposition
In some countries, opposition towards gay relationships is deeply entrenched and may be growing.

For example, in Ghana, where gay sex can be punished with a prison sentence, attitudes have become even less accepting.

In 2013, a poll suggested 96% of Ghanaians believe society should not accept homosexuality.

Elsewhere, official punishments for gay sex may provide insights into how residents, or at least their leaders, view homosexuality.

For example, Brunei recently made sex between men punishable with death through stoning, although it has since backtracked on this.

Another issue is that while laws and perceived attitudes may appear to have become more relaxed in some countries, the reality may be very different for the LGBT community there. For example, while Brazil's Supreme Court has recently voted in favour of making homophobia and transphobia crimes illegal, it did so in response to a large number of killings of LGBT people.

So, why does support for gay and lesbian people vary so much around the world?

Studies suggest the reasons are often linked to three factors - economic development, democracy and religion.

One theory is that a nation's economy shapes the attitudes of its people - including how they feel about LGBT rights.

Often, poorer nations tend to be less supportive, partly because cultural values tend to focus more on basic survival.

When people are concerned about things like clean water, food, shelter and safety, they can become more reliant on others.

This dependency tends to promote strong group loyalty - increasing support for its norms, including "traditional" heterosexual family structures.

People living in richer nations, by contrast, tend to have a lot more security.

As a result, they are more likely to have freedom to make the decisions that suit them, and to believe in self-expression.

Not everyone in richer countries is more tolerant of gay relationships, but the data we have indicates they tend to be more supportive.

Democracy is also thought to play a role.

In democracies, principles like equality, fairness, and the right to protest are more likely to form part of the actions of government and residents.

As a result, people who are sometimes seen as different, like gay and lesbian individuals, may be more likely to gain acceptance.

But people can need time to adapt to democracy.

Compared with longer-term democracies, former communist nations such as Slovenia and Russia appear to have been slower to develop more tolerant attitudes.

Another factor is the role of religion.

Western Europe, with its relatively low levels of religious belief, has been at the forefront of legalising same-sex marriage. Denmark, Belgium, Norway, Spain and Sweden were among the first countries to do so.

Some Middle Eastern and African nations, where Islam or conservative Protestant religious faiths are most commonly practised, have some of the least tolerant attitudes.

Gay sex is illegal in almost half of the countries in Africa and Asia, with between 60% and 98% of people there saying that religion is "always important". This is much higher than in Europe, where gay sex is legal in all countries.

But while richer, more democratic and less religious nations tend to be more tolerant, there are many exceptions.

China, for example, has low levels of religious beliefs, but polls suggest its people are a lot less supportive of gay rights than their Taiwanese neighbours.

Shift in attitudes
Nations have always differed in terms of economic development, democracy and religion. So, why have attitudes and policies changed so much over the last 20 years?

One suggestion is that attitudes change as older generations pass away and are replaced by younger, more liberal people.

Another is that people of all different age groups may change their views and some research does suggest this has been the case.

In the US and many other nations, popular culture and the media appear to have played a role in the rapid liberalisation of attitudes.

Ellen DeGeneres (r) with wife Portia de Rossi, presents a talk show viewed by millions

From the 1990s onwards, some highly likeable gay and lesbian television characters - such as Will from Will and Grace - and TV personalities like Ellen DeGeneres began to appear. Popular culture makes it possible for people who would not necessarily know an openly gay individual to know one in a virtual sense.

Real life contact is also important, as it's more difficult to dislike a gay or lesbian person who is a friend or family member.

In the US, 22% of people in 1993 said they had a close friend or family member who was gay or lesbian. By 2013, 65% said that they did.

In this way the "coming out" movement, which encourages people to self-disclose their sexual or gender identity, has been highly successful.

Nevertheless, it cannot be assumed that all countries will, sooner or later, introduce laws that are more gay-friendly.

Some view being gay as a Western import, and may feel that the US and Europe are using economic power to impose their will on them.

For example, in 2009 Uganda considered a bill which would have made gay sex punishable with death in some circumstances. In response, several nations threatened to cut their funding, and the World Bank postponed a $90m (£70.7m) loan.

Similarly, Turkey has struggled to walk a thin line between supporting conservative Islamic views and maintaining policies that the EU would support.

There is also an argument that Brunei's initial decision to introduce the death penalty for gay sex may be an attempt to appeal to Muslim tourists and investors.

Elsewhere, political candidates may back harsh laws as a way to generate publicity and gain public support.

Attitudes and policies in many nations have clearly been shifting.

But the suggestion that more will follow in their footsteps is not a foregone conclusion.

(Source: BBC)

LGBT school lessons protests spread nationwide

Schools across England have received letters opposing the teaching of relationships and sex education (RSE) and LGBT equality, the BBC has learned.

Protests started in Birmingham and letters, predominantly from conservative Muslims, have been sent to a number of schools elsewhere.

One campaigner said relationship lessons due to start in schools in 2020 "proselytise a homosexual way of life".

Supporters of the lessons said there was a "lot of misinformation".

Protesters are opposed to the teaching of LGBT equality in schools

Letters opposing the lessons have been sent to schools in Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Croydon, Ealing, Manchester, Northampton and Nottingham, BBC Newsnight has discovered.

Some have also been sent from Christian parents in Kent.

Mainly Muslim families have been protesting outside Anderton Park Primary School in Birmingham after pupils were given books featuring transgender children and gay families.

Protest leader Shakeel Afsar: "All we are concerned [about] is we are having our children come home with material that contradicts our moral values."

Another protester, Amir Ahmed, said: "It's not about gay lesbian rights and equality. This is purely about proselytising a homosexual way of life to children."

When asked if he believed children could be "recruited to be gay", Mr Ahmed said: "You can condition them to accept this as being a normal way of life and it makes the children more promiscuous as they grow older."

He added: "Whether they become gay or not, they can still enter into gay relationships.

"They want to convert you, they want to convert your morality and that's just wrong."

Anderton Park headteacher Sarah Hewitt-Clarkson said she had spoken with parents, but days later leaflets circulated accusing the school of "lying" and having a "gay ethos".

Protesters have insisted they are not homophobic, but the BBC has seen Whatsapp groups with large numbers of contributors in which some people use homophobic language.

Labour MP Wes Streeting, who is openly gay and co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims, said: "When you are standing alongside people talking about the proselytising of children, a homosexual agenda, promiscuity, I'm afraid you're homophobic."

Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra said there had been a lot of misinformation about the lessons

Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra said there had been a lot of misinformation about the lessons
Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, an imam from Leicester, said he was "disappointed" with the reaction of the protesters.

He said: "We really need to calm down and think very carefully, it is a very very sensitive topic."

Shaykh Mogra said Mr Ahmed's use of the word "proselytising" was very unfortunate, adding: "I don't believe there is an active effort on the part of LGBT communities to try and convert me and others to become gay people. It's something you don't choose into or opt out of.

"There is a lot of misinformation. It is not about promoting [homosexuality], it's about making our children aware.

"The whole driver for this is not the promotion of the LGBT agenda, it's about inclusivity and to ensure the bullying of such communities is ended."

Aaliyah Hussain said there is not a fight between religion and equality

Aaliyah Hussain, of Women Empowered against Racism, Injustice, Sexism and Extremism, said she had come across concerns in Bristol from parents and schools.

She said some children have been withdrawn from school and there are threats to remove others.

Ms Hussain said the "anxiety" is caused by the spread of information on social media, but it was "absolutely not the case" that this was division between religion and equality.

She said: "It's very dangerous to go down that road.

"This idea that it is religion versus equality is a misnomer because Muslims believe in equality and freedom as well."

The Department for Education said: "Pupils should be taught about the society in which they are growing up.

"These subjects are designed to foster respect for others and for difference, and educate pupils about healthy relationships."

Compulsory relationship and sex education lessons are due to start in all secondary schools in England from September 2020.

(Source: BBC)