All is not lost

Wednesday morning changed life for a lot of us. Our motherland, the nation we so proudly call home, deemed us worthy of a second class citizenship, a political identity inferior to all other Indian citizens, who we once thought we were equal to.

Queer people across the country broke down into emotional sobs, as an unemotional and judgement was passed by the Supreme Court of India. In a matter of minutes we were no more free proud citizens of India, but a disempowered recriminalised lot. What led to this judgement?
Why was this judgement coming out now, four years after we had been granted an unchallenged freedom? Why give us a taste of this fruit and then forbid us from ever partaking of it again?

These are questions that will remain unanswered for now. But all is not lost. All has never been lost. We come from a nation with one of most fair constitutions in the world and our constitution will guarantee us equality in the years to come. We will come out in larger numbers. We will take to the streets. We will gain public opinion in our favour and we definitely will ensure that masses across this great nation realise why our rights are a matter of national importance. Such a shameful mockery of our fundamental rights will not be accepted so easily. There is still hope, and surprisingly so, more than ever before.

We’ve tasted the forbidden fruit of social acceptance, however micro the repercussions of the Delhi High Court Judgement of 2009 might have been. We’ve seen how conversation and dialogue can change the mindset of several sections of society in four short years and fully believe that more such acceptance can be lobbied for. We will strive to change this society for better, for the benefit of humankind in general. We will not remain silent.

Yes, this may be the time for us to finally create allies within political spheres and maybe it is time for us to finally forge many uncomfortable agreements. But if the greater good of the community is something that shall be achieved through these associations, so be it. Change is something that is second nature to us now.

What must be understood in grave and dark times like these however is that while the battle might have been lost, the war is yet to be won. If we organise ourselves better, and plan our moves with even more caution, we might just force this ‘democracy’ to finally start being a democracy to all its citizens. We might have been denied of what we rightfully own, but we will not go down quietly. We will not crawl back into our closets. Tomorrow will be tougher, but definitely, a brighter day.

L Romal M Singh, Radio jockey