A lot has already been said and written about people belonging to the LGBTQ community. These people have been subjected to inhuman treatment. Almost every second day, we come across news stories that highlight the plight of people having ‘unusual’ sexual orientations. As individuals, we need to open our arms to those belonging to sexual minorities.
All of us speak endlessly about putting an end to discrimination and violence that people belonging to the LGBTQ community are subjected to, but our efforts are just as weak as our godforsaken memories.
The problem is: The ‘sex’ in sexuality gets swept under the carpet because it is considered ‘offensive’. More often than not, discussions pertaining to sex and sexuality are not given due importance because of ‘discomfort’. Talk of sexuality and the topic will be shunned within a couple of minutes. Quite often, talks on such matters are ‘ornamented’ with words, such as ‘eww’ and ‘yuck’.
It is quite heartening to see that many organisations across the globe are mobilizing the masses in order to spread awareness around matters pertaining to sexual health and sexuality. Members of the community can be seen, making their presence felt in various walks of life. Recently, the Rhodes Trust included a transgender woman named Hera Jay Brown in its list of selections. She is one of the 32 students selected by the trust, making her the first transgender Rhodes scholar. A couple of things form the heart and soul of a transgender’s fight against discrimination (recognition and acceptance).
Parades and peace marches are being organized by organisations across the globe in a bid to uplift those belonging to the sexual minority. My daughter even participated in one of these in a city nearby recently. Quite often, men in BOP Uniforms can be seen guarding the concerned areas and localities.
What else can be done?
Speak up:
Well, that is the least we can do. Today, we have a wide range of avenues at our disposal. We need to unleash the potential of social media. Go ahead and speak up about the problems you are facing. Don’t worry about the naysayers. Most of them don’t have anything new to add to the conversation anyway. When you feel ready, make yourself heard by coming out of that closet. Say what’s on your mind (don’t hold yourself back). Hesitation and silence would bring you nothing.
Remove the lens of negativity
Yes, a shroud of negativity seems to have engulfed many of those in the LGBTQ community. The moment we discuss sexuality, people begin dispersing, much like a lump of sugar melts away in a child’s mouth. It is high time that we start discussing issues and topics such as these in a mature and open way. Sweeping something under the carpet won’t make it less true. Discussions and seminars dealing with sexuality hold little or no importance if people are not willing to come out and speak.
It is never too late
There’s always hope, isn’t there? Well, no matter how dire the problems and circumstances are, we can always make things better for everybody. The idea of equality should always revolve around acceptance and recognition (despite the differences in sexuality). At the end of the day, we live in a society that calls itself ‘egalitarian’. Therefore, everybody within our society needs to be treated equally. It’s that simple.
The fact is: Everybody’s human
Many of us tend to forget that transexuals are humans as well. Despite the differences in sexual orientation, all of us are human beings and the world we live in needs to treat us as such. Everyone doesn’t have to agree with someone else’s lifestyle to get along.
Final words
Dialogues and discussions in isolation cannot help us in our battle against sexual discrimination. We need to act and speak out if we wish to bring about a positive change.
*This post contains collaborative content.