Last month, during an interview I was asked to write an article about LGBTQ inclusivity in a workplace environment. Well, of course, I did not get the job but I am thankful for the exposure I got while writing that article. Not many of you know but I live in an ideal world in my mind. I like to see the good in people; I do not dwell on problems much and I think that it will go away eventually. It was the same in the case of “LGBTQ”, I knew the term, what it meant, and had a basic idea of the problems or should I say crude behavior individuals from the LGBTQ community encountered on daily basis. When I said yes to writing that article I did not know what was I getting myself into. I spent 3 out of 4 days researching facts, stories, laws, movements, and whatnot; but when I set down to finally write it, just to say that I was overwhelmed, is an understatement. Simply put, I did not know how hard it is for some of us to just be; and how unreasonably cruel people can be.
I do not know is it just me or suddenly this year, more than ever, I am seeing people and brands around the world celebrating Pride month. Don’t you see the Rainbow in and around your favorite brands’ logos? I do and somehow that makes me happy and sad at the same time. Happy because finally those who have the power to influence, are doing something about it and sad mostly because of the hardships I read about during my research. I am an average reader. I consume content in all forms; sometimes more than a usual individual because I have that kind of spare time. I like to believe that I am in a position to speak for the better part of my generation. Even though we think we know, we really don’t. I would have been as indifferent or as ignorant as anyone else if my interviewers had not given me that assignment last month. Even though at the time, I believed to be aware of the term and what it actually meant, I was surprised to learn that I basically knew nothing. I have realized that even though our generation like to call ourselves open-minded and always on the trend. We aren’t always neutral or unbiased and most of the time, without even realizing we set criteria for people to be in a certain way. It is just that growing up, we are taught to see everything one way or another, including people. I would be lying if I said the idea about anything other than MALE or FEMALE made me uncomfortable when I was 15. I do not beat myself about it because I know more now than I knew at that age. I am glad that I can read a variety of books and have access to stories from around the world because it lets me live lives that are not my own and yet let me feel emotions that may have happened or could happen to me. It broadens my emotional spectrum and helps me better understand how one can feel. Lucky enough for me, people who believe in talking about things that matter, even if it means that sometimes it can make things uneasy, have surrounded me all my life.
Since Pride month is going on and we are seeing rainbows everywhere. I thought to share the article I wrote. I have made minor changes because I had written it from an organizational point of view; however, it was I who really felt those things. Here it is:
It is no secret that more often than not when someone identifies themself as an LGBTQ individual, they are titled as “abnormal” or “unnatural”. Please help me understand, who are we to decide what is normal and what is not? Who gave us the right to judge how a person should or should not feel about themself?
Thankfully, not all is wrong in this world; it is still full of determined people who are ready to stand up and take action to do the right thing. With that came the big judgment of 2018 where the Supreme Court acknowledged the LGBTQ community in India. Even though it is considered a big milestone, a step in the direction toward the equality the community demands and deserves, the reality even after 4 years is a little different. Not entirely, but the notion that just because Supreme Court has accepted it, society will too, has proven to be wrong. Today, the law no longer discriminates against LGBTQ individuals however our society still does. Members of this community still find it hard to earn their place in the normal routine and face social and legal difficulties that others might not. Yes, even though the LGBTQ community is part of this very society we live in, there is still a lot of inequality and refusal in its acceptance.
Indian legal systems have decriminalized homosexuality and accepted transgender as the third gender but Homophobia and Transphobia are very much real. These phobias can be an outcome of cultural biases, the inability to manage judgments, or simply ignorance. Often, it is just a fear of the unknown. It is basic human nature to be afraid of or hold a dislike against the things they do not understand. LGBTQ, that is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning are simply terms that identify a person’s gender or sexual orientation but it is not a topic of our regular drawing-room discussions or our school curriculums. For the longest time, these words were considered taboo; and were not talked about in their sincerity. Even today, these words have some kind of stigma attached to them and we do not see people talk about them that openly. It is hard to understand something or make a connection with it, without really understanding it. However, things are changing slowly. A part of our society has actively made it a point to normalize the LGBTQ community and people have become more tolerant with time. The new generation is also opening up their minds to understand and talk about things they do not fully understand or can relate to.
In the past decade, a lot has changed in terms of how the LGBTQ community is looked at. While my intention is merely to advocate inclusivity of the LGBTQ community in and as a part of our society, I do not mind being the agent of even a single change. It is hard to just stand by and watch people fight for their well-earned rights in society. Society has definitely become more tolerant. While tolerance is the first step, acceptance would be the much-needed next step. LGBTQ movement has made headway for the rights, acceptance, equality, and inclusivity of their community in society, but the war is still on. We as a society have a long way to go, to learn and to unlearn; and accept people for who they really are and not for what we are taught to see them as. It is time we all start nurturing the empathy to coexist, as a part of one undivided society and work together. Queer or not, any human being deserves the space to thrive beside us, no matter their sexual orientation or gender.
If you are wondering why am I supporting normalizing LGBTQ? It is because no matter how mindless I sound but I want this world to be a better place. I want a world where we see, individuals for who they are, irrespective of their age, race, gender, ethnicity, abilities or disabilities, religion, culture, or sexual orientation. Where the multifaceted beauty of humanity is not only accepted but also appreciated. Honestly, there are more than enough issues in the world, real-world problems; we have our plates full. Dividing people and questioning someone’s individuality to that is not really helping. I am simply trying to make the difference I want to see in the world. It is my little contribution to making our society a fairer place. I understand that to make it happen, I, well we all will have a lot to learn and I hope we will help each other out to normalize it. I am just taking a small step in normalizing what should not have been a problem in the first place.
Quoting one of my favorite lines from the book I am currently reading, “Grace costs you nothing!” It most certainly does not. So, let us just treat everyone with little more respect and lot more kindness!
Grace costs you nothing! Lovely 🙂