The Nazariya Foundation has been extensively working with the community for three years now.
With an aim to lead the media towards a more nuanced reportage while dealing with issues of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA) community, the Nazariya Foundation organised a workshop for journalists at the Max Mueller Bhawan on Wednesday.
The idea that 'there is more to a person than his or her or their sexual orientation' was the underlying theme of the workshop, which saw participation of author and activist Georgina Maddox, journalist Shambhavi Saxena, along with founder members of Nazariya as resource persons. The Nazariya Foundation has been extensively working with the community for three years now.
The participating members sought a healthy collaboration between the LGBTQIA community and the media. Emphasising upon the right to "fair, accurate, and inclusive" reporting of life stories and concerns of people with diverse gender identities and orientations, Maddox said asking someone about his or her gender identity was a tightrope walk and must be done only if it was absolutely necessary to the story.
She also advised to refrain from using labels such as gay, lesbian, and transgender, if not relevant to the reportage, stating that while a large part of media was sensitive and responsible towards such news, yellow and tabloid-style coverage of issues often led to serious ramifications for the community members.
Using real case studies from a few publications, Rituparna Barua, Founder Member of Nazariya, rued that often, news headlines screamed with insensitivity and bias. "Giving headlines such as 'She was not afraid of her lesbianism' makes it sound like a fad or a trend, and completely takes away from the woman's identity. Similarly, using the term 'trasngendered' is incorrect and inappropriate, since it is reductive and consigns gender to the past tense," she said.
Barua also expressed displeasure with the "saviour" tone that some journalists adopted. "Persons from marginalised communities should not be treated as victims as it further disempowers them. It is good if news stories avoid 'top-down' statements and 'we must save them' tone," she said, adding that the objectification of lesbians in movies must also stop.
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