Poles apart, but plea for love stays same

People are knocking on the door of the Supreme Court. People of diverse colour, diverse genders. And it is a damn good thing. We are here and we are wearing no masks. We are asking for our rights. 

Of the many people who have filed appeals, there is my friend Gautam Yadav from the Humsafar Trust in Delhi, a champion for people living with HIV. He is young, energetic, dynamic and one of the founding members of the youth group Yaariyan. He has spoken at several forums in India and around the world. He has been awarded the HIV Hero award by APCOM. He has even doled out his phone number to people in distress. 

As I write this piece, I am reading a post on one of the Facebook groups where someone has talked about being extorted under the pretext of Section 377 in Delhi, and I am tagging Gautam for further action. 

Besides being great with the understanding of the law, he is also a reservoir of empathy. Many have poured their hearts out to Gautam and he has healed several aching hearts with his power of active listening. 

So, it comes as no surprise to me that he has appealed for the repeal of Section 377 in the apex court with the backing of the Humsafar Trust. I would have expected no less from him. As he marches on, he marches for each one of us.

But even as Gautam is been proud of his humble beginnings in the slums of Okla in Delhi, at the other end of the spectrum is Keshav Suri, the head of The Lalit Group. He has also filed a similar appeal in the Honourable Supreme Court for the repeal of Section 377. 

Keshav is someone who doesn’t merely talk, he walks the talk. It is a no-brainer that he is born with privilege. However, his privilege has not stopped him from standing up for all of us. 

In his appeal, he clearly states his sexuality and mentions that he is in a committed relationship with his partner of a decade. It again comes as no surprise to me, for this man has always stood up for causes, even ones that are not just the queer community. He has had fashion shows for acid attack survivors, ensured that food doesn’t get wasted but is given to those who go hungry, used his space for A-class drag shows in Kitty Su of The Lalit. 

He made a compelling argument based on the World Bank report on the economic cost of homophobia in India, pegged at over $7 billion. True, when you are threatened to bring your whole selves to work, but are scared of being outed, or work in hostile environments where you fear bullying and presecution, you will not work to your fullest potential. If you don’t give rights to some of us, it affects all of us. Let’s fill our hearts with love for a hale-and-hearty economy.

Let love be the only law.

Bhara kaai?

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