Happy Thursday!
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We’re two queer journalists curating and writing about all things LGBTQIA+, from India and beyond. This is the first of two special Franken-editions of Queering About. It has the most important news that we missed in the time we took off.
It’s a long one, but we’ve got ‘You Need To Calm Down’ blasting to motivate us - let’s get straight (!) into it.
And now, the news.
We start with the biggest queer news story of last week - that of Caster Semenya, the South African athlete who just lost an appeal against World Athletics. Semenya has hyperandrogenism, a condition that means her body produces higher levels of testosterone, as a result of something called ‘difference of sex development.’ She has been brought up as a woman and identifies as a woman. She appealed against the organisation’s rule that forces women athletes with naturally high levels of testosterone to take a hormone suppressant. The judgement in the case was passed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which said the rules were "necessary, reasonable and proportionate" to ensure ‘fairness’ in women's track. Critics have said the ruling is racist, sexist - contrast this with the treatment Michael Phelps received for his ‘genetic advantage’, for example - and fuelled by paranoia about ‘biological sex’.
Here is an alternate point of view from another athlete who was once convinced Semenya was ‘cheating’ and now says, “My views changed when I went to university and had access not only to different perspectives but also to the science behind the arguments that were used against Semenya.”
To ask a person to sacrifice their health to be able to compete in the only binary category that they’re allowed access to, is unthinkably cruel. For us, this case demonstrates the clear failures of arranging the world according to an absolute sex and gender binary.
Now to Lance Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton. He’s the US Marine who killed Jennifer Laude, a trans woman, in the Philippines in 2014, after finding out she was assigned male at birth. He was pardoned by President Rodrigo Duterte, after being convicted, earlier this month. Queer activists in the country said that not only does this show how trans rights are not valued there, but also how the country is treating its own citizens as secondary in bowing to US interests. Here is a movie you can watch on the case, which shows how Jennifer’s mother and lawyer fought for justice.
Some joyful Pride news! The world's first ever pan-African Pride happened in mid-August! Pride Afrique was a virtual three-day live event. It was broadcast in four languages and told “three dimensional stories of African queer persons at home and in the diaspora,” said one report.
Meanwhile, Vancouver streamed most of its Pride 2020 events online. There were some lovely events, like six weddings, art walks, and anti-fascism workshops. Such a well-rounded Pride - we love to see it.
We’ve also got a bunch of wholesome coming out stories for you! We’re pairing it with the very welcome news that three countries have voted to ban gay conversion therapy in this time - Israel, Mexico and Gabon in Africa. (Of course, we’re not sure about the rights of Palestinian queer people.)
Firstly, one of our favourite poets of ALL TIME, Kae Tempest, has announced that they’re changing their name and pronouns! They said, “I’ve loved Kate, but I’m beginning a process.”
In Australia, lawmaker Andy Meddick posted a “birth announcement” on Twitter when his daughter came out as transgender - both of Meddick’s children are trans!
Meanwhile, actress and singer Jennifer Lopez has introduced a short film called Draw With Me about Brendon Scholl, a trans artist who also happens to be her ‘nibling’ (that’s a gender-neutral for nephew/niece.) She says the film is very close to her heart.
And Sara Ramirez, the actor who played beloved bi character Callie Torres on Grey’s Anatomy, has said they’re non-binary! As a HUGE fan of the show, we honestly saw this coming.
Now, some grim news. Authorities in Saudi Arabia arrested twenty-nine-year old activist Mohamad al-Bokari, for posting a video on social media calling for equal rights for people including gay people. He had fled Yemen in June after Yemeni armed groups threatened to kill him. He was provided no counsel, and was sentenced to 10 months in prison and a fine of 10,000 Saudi Riyals (US$2,700).
In news from our neighbours, Pakistan, protests have been going on against the arrest of a well-known trans activist, Julie. Supporters allege that the case against her was fabricated. It must be noted that Pakistani law provides explicit protection to transgender persons, although we’re not sure how well the law is implemented. Pakistan is also currently witnessing mass protests against a brutal case of group assault.
In Indonesia, police detained dozens of men in a raid on a party at a hotel in Jakarta. They’re suspected of organising a ‘gay party.’ Nine people are being charged under a pornography law which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine. Homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia, but homophobia has increased sharply in recent years.
We’ve been watching the developments in Poland with alarm for some time. The country has now left the Istanbul Convention, which was a treaty on violence against women. The European Union has also pulled funding from six cities there that declared themselves ‘LGBT Free.’ Activists have welcomed the move, and in one instance, members of the Polish opposition went to the new President’s swearing-in ceremony in rainbow clothes, as a protest. Allies have also rallied to protest against the arrest of a trans activist for ‘carrying out civil disobedience.’
She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is at it again: She’s sued a news website aimed at British schoolchildren called The Day, for running an article about how her essay on trans rights might negatively impact children. The website was forced to take it down. So much for ‘freedom of speech, eh?
Our beloved Emma Watson and Reni Eddo-Lodge (author of Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race) have come together to recreate the London Tube map with stations named after historic women and non-binary people!
Remember Professor Sprout? She’s played by the iconic, and very gay Miriam Margoyles. She’s now said she’s ‘lonely, anxious and depressed’ in lockdown away from her partner of FIFTY-TWO years! Oh, to have a love like this.
Any fans of Strictly Come Dancing here? The British dance reality show will have its first same-sex couple, and one of them is former boxer and Olympian Nicola Adams.
And lastly, British celebrity chef Nigella Lawson said trans rights. No, really. We knew we binged on her show after school for a reason.
Moving on to the US, a new survey there by the LGBTQIA+ charity, The Trevor Project, found that one in four LGBTQ youth uses non-binary pronouns. Both of your writers use they/them pronouns too, by the way!
Did you see that Star Trek will soon have its first trans and non-binary characters? We’re so happy for all the enby and trans nerds (don’t worry, we’re one of them too)!
The Emmys are here and they’re...kind of queer? Pose, the show that’s consistently received critical acclaim for its talented trans actors, is said to have been snubbed: the only person nominated was cisgender actor Billy Porter for his role of Pray Tell. But other trans actors did get nominated, such as Laverne Cox for Guest Actress, Drama, in Orange Is the New Black; and Rain Valdez in Razor Tongue for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama series.
Maricopa County in Arizona has let go of the anti-gay adoption policy after they realised that not offering legal advice to allow gay couples to adopt was costing them $750,000 a year to keep in place. We love the end result, but did it really have to take a big price tag for them to figure out that gay people should be allowed to adopt?
A queer couple, one of them a trans woman of color, has sued New York Magazine for defamation. It’s about a story about them that accused them of engaging in extortion and a false paternity claim against a Harvard professor. Here is the original article, if you want to read it, and it is wild.
And finally, filmmaker Lilly Wachowski has confirmed what many people have suspected for a very long time - ‘The Matrix’ is indeed a trans allegory! “That was the original intention but the world wasn't quite ready,” she said.
Back in India, Sanjit Mondal, a 23-year-old gay man, said he was harrassed, threatened and physically and verbally abused by police in Rajarhat, West Bengal. He added that they attempted to make him falsely confess to the crime of sexual solicitation. He has filed a complaint against the station. You can read about the encounter over here. MAJOR trigger warning: violence, homophobia.
Nazariya: A Queer Feminist Resource Group, had to issue a statement against discriminatory articles that appeared on OpIndia about its work with Tagore International School. We’re keeping an eye on rising anti-lgbtq rhetoric in the country’s media, and much of it seems to be driven by everyone’s favourite magic school writer.
Per the CBSE press release for this year, the pass percentage of transgender persons of class 10 has decreased by 15.79% and those of class 12 has decreased by 16.66 %. There is a lot more data in there, but the bottom line is that an unhealthy and dangerous environment is the reason for low rates of enrollment and academic performance.
Did you see the call that Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil of Hanumanteshwar in India sent out for the banning of LGBTQIA+ conversion therapy in India? The openly gay prince said he himself had been a victim of the practice, and that he doesn’t want anyone to go through what he did, and what he saw at the camp, including the suffering that queer women experience.
Famous sufi singer and BJP MP Hans Raj Hans has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to help trans folk artists and artisans going through a financial crisis. Here’s a related story about the community in Punjab’s Ludhiana, where up to 700 trans people, who earn their livelihood dancing and performing at weddings, have been struggling to make ends meet.
Have you seen that food delivery app Zomato has extended its new period leave policy to trans people as well? We hope they’re practicing employment and workplace inclusion policies, too.
Moving on, here’s some more on queer love from non-metro cities in India - did you know that a lesbian couple was recently provided with an armed escort by a court in Gujarat? Their story is of a normal home routine disrupted by the threat of violence.
And lastly do you live in Coimbatore? Do you want biryani? OF COURSE YOU WANT BIRYANI. Here’s an eatery run entirely by trans people that could help you out! It’s called Covai Trans Kitchen and it was opened by trans people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic. And in Chennai, an NGO has launched a project to help trans women set up their own business, including food karts. Go support a queer local business!
Rest in power
Sunny Dayal. A member of the pantry staff with Volvo buses, he was murdered after being lured by a fake profile on a gay men’s dating app. In the last week of July, the Gurugram police also captured three men who have been involved in conning gay men through a dating app. The casual violence faced by members of our community while seeking out human connection is stomach-churning.
Mental Health Resources:
Sahaya Help Line: 080-223 0959
Operates: Only on Tuesdays and Fridays, 7 pm - 9 pm
Sappho Helpline: +91-9831518320
Operates: 10 am – 9 pm
Space: (toll-free tele-counselling helpline) 1800111015
Operates: 10 am - 6 pm every day.
A list of other places to call if you need help, clarity, or just someone to talk to.
A non-exhaustive list of queer+ve therapists in India bought out by Gaysi Family.
Amrutam is an Ayurvedic wellness community that also has a list of LGBTQIA+ therapists.
Queer Quote of the Week
"This world would be a whole lot better if we just made an effort to be less horrible to one another."- Ellen Page, actor and actual bae.
Thank you for reading, and see you for our next letter!
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