[Reader-list] the suicide of a lesbian couple in Chennai

[prakash ray]

This is a press release about the suicide of a lesbian couple in Chennai on
17th May, 2008, by various queer friendly organisations and individuals.
Please forward and circulate it amongst your contacts, especially in the
print and visual media to ensure that it gets heard. Kindly also endorse the
statement.
______________________________



On the 17th of May 2008, Christy Jayanthi Malar (38) and Rukmani (40)
committed suicide. Police reports tell us that they were hugging each other
when they set themselves ablaze and succumbed to the wounds. Christy and
Rukmani had been lovers for the past ten years against the wishes of their
natal families and their husbands'.

This suicide is the latest of the eight lesbian suicides that we have news
of from the beginning of 2008 in Tamilnadu alone. More than 35 couples are
said to have committed suicide in kerala in the past 10 years. These numbers
as we know are only of the reported cases. The many more that have gone
unreported might never be known to us.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered people's struggles in this country are
close to 15 years old now. The hearing on the petition for the repeal of
section 377 of the Indian penal code (that criminalises "carnal intercourse
against the order of nature"), in the Delhi High Court is in progress and
has reached the level of final arguments. There are organisations in all the
major cities and towns in India who work on sexuality rights and have been
doing so for more than a decade. Some of the most important thinkers and
individuals of India today, including Vikram Seth, Amartya Sen, Barkha Dutt
and so on have signed an open letter demanding the repeal of section 377.
Just next door, Nepal has elected its first openly gay MP. It is in this
context that Rukmani and Chirsty have committed suicide.

Issues of early and forced marriage and subsequent lack of independence or
mobility for women are realities in most part of the country as they are in
Tamilnadu. Domestic violence continues to remain a significant issue.
Repression of same-sex desire is part of this same continuum of violence,
and as we can clearly see, the cost of this repression is the loss of human
lives.

Sexual orientation and/or preference are matters of every individual's
desire and right. With the complete lack of awareness about same-sex desire,
coupled with gruesome repression, the tragic end of Christy and Rukmani are
only one among the many more we will witness. If we have to put a stop to
this, it is imperative that we make efforts to dispel the myths around same
sex desire and acknowledge it in clear terms. Same-sex desire is not a
disease. We need to know that there is nothing 'abnormal' about same-sex
desire, but the problem rather is the fixing of 'normal' to be ONE kind of
intimate relationship and deeming anything outside of it (like inter-caste
romantic relationships and marriage) 'abnormal.' There is nothing
'unnatural' about same-sex love; the concept of natural itself can be
questioned as not all things that are part of our everyday lives are
'natural'; plastic for instance or coca cola. Besides, species of animals
are proven to be engaging in same-sex sexual activity. It is not a concept
that has come from the west As Saleem Kidwai and Ruth Vanita explain in
their book 'Same-sex Love in India - Readings from History and Literature,'
same sex love is not a concept imported from the west. The sculptures of
Khajuraho and Konark are ample evidence too. .

Apart from all of this, Tamilnadu is also the land of Periyar who, as early
as the 1930s, spoke vehemently about equality for women as well as against
marriage as it was prevalent then. The dictum of the 'self-respect marriage'
not only shuns brahminical rituals but also supports different kinds of
desire within the institution of marriage. Periyar and other people in the
self-respect movement have argued for intimate relationships, marriage and
desire being one that is the choice of every individual and cannot be
impinged upon by the forces of caste, religion and family. It is from this
history of radical politics that Tamilnadu has emerged.

In spite of this illustrious history, Tamilnadu has repeatedly been
excessively repressive about issues relating to sexuality. It is time we
broke the silence and speak out on issues around sexuality. Going further on
the ground laid in all these decades in addressing various issues relating
to women's rights, we must now move further to talk openly about sexuality.
Christy's and Rukmani's death are newer testimonies that urge us to do so.
We need to take constructive steps towards providing awareness about - and
support to -same-sex desiring people in Tamilnadu and elsewhere.

The repression of same-sex desire is not just a case of imposing one kind of
desire and lifestyle on everyone, but is one that often paves the path to a
question of life or death. We call upon progressive groups and individuals
in Tamilnadu as well as the state government to acknowledge the reality of
this repression and provide the space for every human being to uphold their
right to live and love with freedom, dignity, and respect, irrespective of
their caste, class, religion, gender and sexual orientation.

In Solidarity,

Voices Against 377, Delhi
PRISM, New Delhi
Partners for Law in Development (PLD), New Delhi
Saheli, New Delhi
Creating Resources for Empowerment in Action (CREA), New Delhi
Nigah, New Delhi
Alternative Law Forum, Bangalore
V. Geetha, Chennai
Oishik Sircar, Kolkata/Toronto
TARSHI, New Delhi
Shilpa Phadke, Mumbai
Pramada Menon, New Delhi
India Centre for Human Rights and Law (ICHRL), Mumbai
Forum Against Oppression of Women, Bombay
Lesbians and Bisexuals in Action, Bombay
Awaaz-e-Niswaan, Bombay
Women's Centre, Bombay
Akshara Centre, Bombay
The Shakti Center, Chennai
Ridhima Mehra, New Delhi
Anuradha Chandra, new delhi
Nina Subramani, Bangalore

Prakash K Ray, New Delhi