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Section 377 verdict anniversary: Lucknow’s LGBT community celebrates with ‘rainbow bhandara’, ‘human libraries’
‘I am what I am’ — this short but powerful quote by a speaker marked the opening of an event organised in Lucknow on Friday to celebrate one year of Supreme Court’s
‘I am what I am’ — this short but powerful quote by a speaker marked the opening of an event organised in Lucknow on Friday to celebrate one year of Supreme Court’s landmark judgement reading down provisions of section 377 of the Indian Penal Code and decriminalising consensual same-sex relations.
The celebrations in Hazratganj were organised by members of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community in the state capital, including the Awadh Queer Pride Committee.
“Indeed, this day heralded freedom for us. The SC judgement clearly implied that it was no crime or sin being a member of the LGBT community,” said Yadavendra Singh Darvesh, convener of the programme.
He said the purpose of the event was not only to celebrate the day but also to “bridge the gap between people of the LGBT community and others”.
‘Human Libraries’
In the first part of the programme -- ‘Human Libraries’ -- people from the community acted as “libraries” for others, answering queries and dispelling myths.
“This was the most important session of the event. In this question-and-answer session, our people acted as human libraries and tried to address all queries related to the LGBT community and its social acceptance,” Darvesh said.
He said that the ‘human libraries’ took up over a dozen queries.
‘Rainbow Bhandara’
The next session was the ‘Rainbow Bhandara’ in which community members distributed mocktails and sandwiches of many hues to the locals -- and in the process also educated them about the LGBT people and their challenges.
Games and cultural programmes were also organised to mark the occasion.
“This day enabled us to come out in the open, truly celebrating the spirit of ‘my body, my rights’,” said Darvesh.
In addition to this, the Awadh Queer Pride Committee also organised ‘Queer Pride’ marches.
All events were aimed at ensuring that members of the LGBT community find a place of dignity and acceptance in the mainstream of society.
