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

[Asit asitreds]

i endorse

On 5/24/08, prakash ray <pkray11 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> 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
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