Sexual minorities submit a charter of 14 demands to the state govt, asking for acceptance and recognition.
“Leave me alone. Stop forced marriages of lesbians and bisexuals”; “Proud to be me”; “Gay by birth, fabulous by choice” were some of the slogans heard at the pride march under the aegis of Bangalore Pride and Karnataka Sexual Minorities Rights Festival (BPKSMRF) — Bengaluru Pride and Karnataka Queer Habba 2011 — at Tulasi Park near Majestic on Sunday.
BPKSMRF held a march, seeking rights to citizenship and recognition. At the rally, the community placed demands seeking implementation of recommendations of the Dwarakanath Commission. “We hope the Supreme Court of India will uphold the landmark verdict of the Delhi high court on the Naz Foundation Judgment of 2009, upholding the right to live with dignity and equality to LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-sexual) people,” read a message from BPKSMRF.
They made 14 demands, including access to state services and entitlements without discrimination to all sexuality minorities. “These include ration cards, voters ID, driving licence, savings/credit facilities, insurance, housing, pension and old-age homes,” the release stated. Through the release, the sexual minorities urged the Karnataka government to implement the government order based on the observations of Karnataka Backward Class Commission. “The medical and psychiatric establishment needs to learn to be more sensitive to, and understand the issues of, sexual minorities… Schools and colleges need to have programmes addressing homophobia, transphobia and sexism and open up spaces for discussions for safer sex practices and related health issues,” the release read.
It also urged the government to change the current adoption laws to accommodate families formed by gay and lesbian couples or transgender people. “The government needs to decriminalise sex-workers,” it added. The campaign also seeks legal recognition for transgenders and provision of free sex reassignment surgery along with counselling and access to education and employment. “The recent decision of Bangalore University to allow people to enroll in post-graduate courses as transgenders is laudable. However, it needs to be extended to all levels of education,” stated BPKSMRF.
The march aimed to convince corporates to take note of sexual minorities. “Companies and other institutions need to adopt and implement diversity and non- discrimination policies with specific regard to gender identity and sexual orientation,” the release said. Also, the community demanded anti-retroviral therapy for HIV-affected people belonging to sexual minorities. “There should be no forceful HIV testing and test results must be kept confidential,” added BPKSMRF.
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