Abc of LGBTQIA+

In India whenever people come across these four capital letters together, any one of three reactions can be observed :

1. hatred, stigmas, and baseless phobia around the people of this community.

2. clueless and absolutely unbothered about the hardships of the people of this community.

3. genuine support, acceptance and care towards this community.

The first two categories are in huge numbers in our Indian society. Hatred , phobia and stigmas stem from misinterpretation, wrong representation, misinformation and negligence , which are all the more fueled by communal instivagtions from religious groups, leaders and selfish orators. This article would be my contribution to curbing such phobia a.k.a Queerphobia. Lets start!

The L stands for Lesbian : It means a woman who is physically and romatically attracted to other women.

The G stands for Gay : It means a man who is physically and romantically attracted to other men.

The B stands for Bisexual: It means a person who is physically and romantically attracted to both men and women.

The T stands for Transgender: It means indivisuals whose gender identity and expression differs from cultural expectations.

The Q stands for Queer and Questioning : It means those who do not identify as exclusively straight and or folks who have non binary or gender fluid identities.

The I stands for Intersex : It means those who are born with differences in their sex traits and reproductive anatomy.

The A stands for Asexual : It means those who lack a sexual attraction or interests in others.

The + stands for : It means it leaves room for the other sexual orientations not covered in acronym.

However, after this information hateful and negligent actions will not stop towards this community because, it really is a matter of compassion , kindness and inclusivity. Such people really do not care about the pain their words , actions and speeches inflict on the Queer community. Hate comments, cyber bullying, physical harassment has taken lives of many Queer people including minors as young as sixteen. The violence against Queers worldwide has risen more and more, countries like Russia and Ghana have criminalised Queer community. In India after the heart breaking judgement of SC , Queer community has faced harships manifold. Anti - Queer activists often reason homosexuality as a disease and a kind of action that is a super spreader of AIDS.

A study by C.S. Ford and Frank A.has proven that homosexuality is neither a physical nor a mental disease. The study was accredited by the American Psychiatric Association. Moreover, it was found recently that homosexuality and Queerness is found in over 1500 species of organisms . To top it all off, our Hindu scriptures have a plethora of terms and representation of Queer community through out. Anti-Queer activists disregard these proven facts and spread hatred nonetheless.

Now my question for you dear readers, should a society be concerned about whom an adult decides to spend their life with, and go above and beyond any lengths to humiliate and harass them? In our country where heterosexual couples are harassed because of as pettey reasons as caste differences, Queer liberation seems a long dream.