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1 Year Of Section 377 Being Repealed: LGBTQIA+ Community Share Their Experiences

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Priyanka Parmar
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LGBTQIA+ Community

September 6, 2018, is marked as a historic moment as it was on this day that a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court of India decriminalised a part of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The ruling led to the decriminalization of consensual sexual acts between same-sex adults in private. The law was enacted for the first time in 1861 and has since received a lot of retaliation and backlash from human rights groups and activists with lawyers fighting tooth and nail to overturn it.

Right after the historic judgement came through, the LGBTQIA+ community, their allies and advocates rejoiced and celebrated the milestone in India and across the globe. All social media platforms were flooded with posts and messages showcasing the battle, the struggle, the hardships and also the happiness and hope that came with it. The hashtag #LoveIsLove was seen trending as well.

There's no denying that we live in a broken world that is full of rules and laws that stop innocent people from being their true happy selves. But the Supreme Court's ruling showed that there's hope for us to truly shatter the unfair and obsolete laws that stop people from living their private lives on their terms. It's a small win in a long battle but it's a win none the less. Today marks the one year anniversary of a part of IPC's Section 377 being repealed. To commemorate the occasion, we got in touch with some of the bold, striking and inspiring voices of the LBGTQIA+ community to know how the Supreme Court's ruling has impacted their lives in the last one year.

Here's what some of the inspiring members of the LGBTQIA+ community had to say:

Sushant Divgikr
"Well, I have been part of the entertainment industry for about 13 years now and I have worked with the biggest production houses and across all media and I can safely say that in the past couple of years, the media, as well as pop-culture, has evolved to accommodate lgbtqia+ content and artistes. It can do much much more and it should do a lot more in terms of normalising LGBTQIA + people and characters and also, sensitise audiences to understand that we are as human as heterosexual people. In the past year, there has been a change in mindset’s of people and I have personally received a lot of love from my audience and my admirers.

I always make sure I acknowledge the people that celebrate us, artistes, because they are what make us who we are! They don’t really care whether gay or straight, they will love you as long as you’re a good artiste and can entertain them! The OTT platforms have been a real blessing to us because they stream some amazing content. The audiences want to watch intellectual content and that’s great. Social media has played a big part in sensitising our audiences and for that, I am ever so thankful."

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From the first time I was on television in a TV commercial to this day , when I’m on the board of directors for multiple international organisations , my parents always told me to believe in my work and my talent ! Never once was I told that I can’t do something because I was GAY ! In fact my dad always told me , you do you and do it like nobody else can ! Today , INDIA , Abolished section 377 and proved that LOVE has NO GENDER ! Love is love and love always wins. My mother and I have been together all day holding each other’s hands and crying happy tears ! To all of you , who have showered me with all your love , I would like to say , I bow down to you and thank you from the bottom of my heart ! Today , democracy has won and I’m so happy that the Supreme Court has taken a stand for the sexual minorities of our country ! Equality for all ! #lovewins #equality #lgbt #lgbtq #loveislove #byebye377 #377 #gay #gayrights #humanrights @unitednations @free_and_equal @thehumsafartrustofficial @yaariyan_lgbtq

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Maya
"Life has changed for the better. Small baby steps. Corporate India has started giving jobs to the LGBT community. Pop culture in India is opening up to the community. But there are many changes yet to happen. Such as civil rights etc."

Pratul
"I think the biggest change I've seen around me since last year, is that we've warmed up to conversations about acceptance, to a great extent. Like many of us, I no longer fear that my sexual orientation is a matter of concern/discrimination at the workplace or where I live. It feels like a weight is lifted off my chest, and that to me is true freedom!"

Gio
"For me, IPC 377 struck down means a lot, it’s not at all about acceptance because we still have a long way to go towards acceptance. But what all I’m happy about is if you get accepted by your country and it’s law, you do not need anyone else to get accepted! We have rights to register a complaint about a bully and assaults. This is the first thing that comes to my mind! Because it’s very important for a citizen to get rights to register a complaint about being unapologetic and not being ashamed for who they are! At least, if I hold the hand of my partner in public I won’t be assaulted anymore in public by police for doing that, and it definitely makes me relieved."

Also Read: Mumbai to host its first LGBTQIA+ Job Fair in July!

 Harish Iyer
"Social media has made the world a great leveller. It had a major indicator of the homophobia is failing and Queer freedom is winning. However, social media has also got a distinct memory. If you profess your love for Queer freedom publicly, be sure to follow it through.
We are not your Navratri greetings or Christmas party. We are not your "good deed of the day" We are here throughout the year, don't treat us as occasions, we will watch out for your sensitivity if you stand up for our causes."

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Thank dog. :) Pic by @nomadic_av

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Sanket Sawant
“ This historic judgment has really helped us all start taking the right steps. Going forward I do see our country going approaching the topic with a great deal of sensitivity and understanding ??❤"

Prateek Sachdeva
"It's a small step but a drastic one. I started to see a change immediately when the hearings started and the discussion on it started to air on TV and newspapers. The biggest challenge that we still face, keeping in the mind the population of the country and also a lot of rural places where media is not that accessible, is Awareness and last year the amount of people only got to know about Queerness.
Throughout the year things have changed drastically too. People are less hesitant to come out because it's not illegal anymore, people are not afraid of the law to be themselves to love whoever they want to.
There's a lot of discussions in colleges and schools as well. Things like gender equality cells have started to establish themselves in schools.
Even though the battle isn't over, there are trans rights, marriage equality etc that we still need to fight for and yes the acceptance from the society. We still have made a landmark victory with scrapping off section 377."

Kushboo
“I haven’t personally experienced a sea of change in queer freedom after the judgement, because I was open as a queer man and a drag artist even before this. However, it certainly helped my family to relax about the topic because up until the verdict, in their eyes, homosexuality was still legally unacceptable. I also noticed a lot more performance venues and commercial establishments have opened their businesses to queer organizations and events after the verdict.
I believe that it is when things are pushed underground that problems abound. Therefore, this court's judgment has helped us not only the queer community specifically but mainstream society in general."

Lady Bai
"It’s been drastically different with relations to allies and within the community as well. Recognition, fame, and respect are flowing in abundance. I can proudly be who I am at the workplace as well. Also, people giving you a chance to be who you are is very heartwarming right now. Discriminations still happen when it comes to trans people and drag queens, but the respect we get overpowers everything."

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“It’s easy to look at people and make quick judgements about them, their present and their past, but you’d be amazed at the pain and tears a single smile hides. What a person shows to the world is only one tiny facet of the iceberg hidden from sight. And more often than not, it’s lined with cracks and scars that go all the way to the foundation of their soul.” . . . PC - @bharath_ph . . . . . . . . #ladybai #baibye #dragqueen #dragqueensofindia #indiandragqueen #indiandragqueens #dragqueensofinstagram #rupaul #rupaulsdragrace #makeup #makeupartist #dragmakeup #dragqueenmakeup #kittyko #thelalitashokbangalore #queer #gaydragqueen #gayboyinadress #gay #lgbt #lgbtqia #indiagay #localqueen #localdragqueen #instadrag #saree #sareenotsorry

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