On Sunday I moved into my new room at Dr. Puri's Canadian Expat Home, which sounds like a book title and is my home for the next month. Dr. Puri is very nice, and my tiny room, to the back of the house, has its own fridge and bathroom, as well as a desk perfect for writing and shelves with more than enough space for my stuff.
After moving I headed down to the Indian Coffee House to meet Bismay and a group from Harmless Hugs for the release of a book written by a friend of theirs. The release was fun, and I got a signed copy of the book, and afterward we headed to a hookah lounge to smoke and talk for part of the evening.
That night I went to Hauz Khas Village to have dinner with Sherry, a friend of Bismay whom I met at Pride. He works in Chandigarh, which is the capital of Punjab, but he travels often for work and had a few days in Delhi. We had a long dinner, talking for several hours over delicious food. Sherry is really funny and great company, and I was really happy to be able to see him again and talk about a wide variety of things, from issues in the community to Sex and the City.
Unfortunately, I was not well for the next few days, down with some sort of allergy/sinus/throat thing that made me useless, but I did get to spend a little more time with Sherry and meet a few of his other friends in the city. One night we ended up at TGIFriday's, which Sherry and his friends love and which, I can report, looks exactly the same in India as it does in Mississippi or Memphis.
Aside from the sickness, things were progressing fairly normally and I was making new contacts and taking lots of medicine.
On Wednesday morning, things changed in India. Bismay had told me that the Supreme Court was set to announce its ruling on the Delhi High Court Case by December 12th.
Some background: A piece of the law called Section 377, which dates back to British rule, criminalized unnatural acts, and included in this was sodomy. Unfortunately as British law progressed and invalidated its own version of 377, Indian law did not. In 2009, the Delhi High Court issued a ruling against sections of 377 that essentially decriminalized homosexuality. That ruling was challenged by several individuals and religious groups and brought before the Supreme Court.
On the morning of the 11th, the announcement was scheduled and everyone waited to hear the outcome. I should say that attitudes had generally been positive. Most people with whom I had spoken believed the court would rule against 377. Unfortunately, that did not happen, and at around 10:30 that morning I got a text from Bismay that just said, "We lost."
A two judge panel issued a ruling that the Delhi High Court did not have the right to change the law and that it would be up to Parliament to take any action on the issue, which meant that homosexual acts were once again illegal. Of course, it is not just homosexual acts but anal and oral sex generally, but it seems clear that the intent and implementation here is for LGBTQ people.
The community mobilized immediately. That afternoon there was a protest at Jantar Mantar, where we had marched for Pride just a few weeks before. Everyone wore black and a large crowd appeared, especially given the short notice and the time of day, when many people were working.
There was outrage for a number of reasons, obviously, and sadness. Lawyers and activists gave speeches about next steps but also just to rally the community, which was in shock.
After the event, it was clear that people did not want to leave and it was good that people were already making plans for more events and protests. The need for community and the desire to be in a safe space were clear.
The next day I started work at TARSHI (Talking about Reproductive and Sexual Health Issues). It was a really interesting day to start work, given the ruling, and there was a lot of discussion over lunch about things that were happening. I really, really like being in the TARSHI office. Everyone who works there is dedicated and super friendly, and the work that they're doing is really important, especially now.
I am working on a few things, including a post for the January issue of their blog.
After work, I went to have milkshakes with a few friends and on the way had what has most definitely been my worst experience with an auto driver. In the first place, he wanted to overcharge me a ton, which is normal, but after we agreed on a reasonable price, he asked to more than triple it on the way to the destination. Of course I said no but he also then refused to give me change and dropped me somewhere not exactly close to where I needed to be. Honestly, it is mostly the fact that I was totally dependent on him that bothered me, that bothers me generally in Delhi. Because the street signs are hardly marked and maps are nearly useless, I have no way to get myself anywhere without a friend's help or an auto driver, unless I have been to the place a few times before. At night with a guy who wants to rip me off, it is not an ideal situation.
Anyway, everything was fine in the end of course, and it was a nice night of talking and hanging around a new cafe.
The next day I worked again, and I learned about a community meeting planned for Saturday and a big protest on Sunday that would be coordinated with protests around India and the world.
Saturday I headed to the Goethe Institute for the community meeting. These meetings are closed, safe spaces, so I don't have pictures but I can say that it was packed and a really great, informative way to spend the evening.
At the beginning, several lawyers outlined the case and the next steps before answering questions from the audience, many of which centered around whether or not people could be arrested at Pride parades or on suspicion of being gay.
The biggest things I took away:
-A review petition will be filed
-There are curative petititions that can be filed if the review petition is denied; these are petitions filed by individuals who have been personally hurt by a ruling and are meant to offer another option for reconsideration
-A lot of things about implementation of 377 are unclear, but what is clear is that the abuse of the law is extremely troubling and these instances are where 377 can be used with particular force against the community
-Pride parades are still legal
-The work of sexual health organizations just became more complicated and their rights to educate and distribute materials are now very murky
I was in the meeting for a few hours before heading out to eat dinner with Jasneet, Phoebe, and Rohini, who had also attended. I left feeling ready for the protest the next day and overwhelmed by the amount of information and at the same time, the lack of solid information that could be provided about the ruling and its impact. At one point a lawyer began to talk about anticipatory bail, which is an option for someone who believes they will be arrested under 377 (a non-nailable offense, meaning that a person would be dependent on the court to issue bail) and it was, as Jasneet noted, a kind of crazy and scary thing to think that someone would need to do this.
The next day was the Global Day of Rage, a series of protests organized around the world to denounce 377 and proclaim that there would be "No Going Back." I arrived early in the afternoon and did not leave for several hours.
There were speeches by parents, lawyers, activists, allies, and community members. Then there were performances, including a performance art piece that was really fantastic. The crowd changed with the day but was always substantial, again impressive given the haste with which all of this was put together.
Signs before the protest
This is Dadi, or grandmother. She told the crowd, "If you don't have a mother, I am your mother, I am your grandmother." She also said, "If someone says it's wrong, bring them to see me. Bring these judges to see me." The crowd loved her, and with good reason.
One of the mothers in the case against 377, also a wonderful and supportive speaker
Of course, there was music
One of my favorite speakers from a student organization. She spoke in Hindi but phrases like "patriarchal nation state" and "women's rights and gay rights are human rights" I could understand
A group of trans, or in India called hijra, women who proudly spoke
Teacher's Union against 377. "We are all taught to be straight. Nobody is straight naturally."
Allied speakers from various organizations. One of the women sang a protest song that the crowd loved so much they had her repeat it. It was awesome.
Trans dancer doing a traditional dance
More singing
Maya's performance, amazing. You did not teach me how to walk, how can you teach me how to love.
it was a great afternoon and night full of energy and protest, and it was a perfect way to start the week.
Although things are rough at the moment and there is a lot of fear, there is also so much solidarity, commitment, community, and determination. Witnessing queer India rise up is a privilege.
This week I am thankful for:
1. A chance to witness the strength and force of the community here
2. TARSHI and a chance to work with such cool people.
3. The fact that while things at home are far from perfect, I do not have to worry about anticipatory bail as the result of my sexuality
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