Rainbow of Hope

Source: The post is based on the article “Rainbow of Hope” published in The Hindu on 26^th August 2022.

Syllabus: GS 2, Laws and mechanisms for the vulnerable sections

Context: The T.N. government, on the orders of the Madras High Court, has come out with a glossary of terms to address people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual or of any other orientation.

What are the terms?

The Department of Social Welfare and Women Empowerment notified the terms —

1) paal pudhumaiyar for queer;

2) maruviya paalinam for a transgender;

3) idaippaal for intersex;

4) paalina adaiyaalangaludan oththupogaathavar for a gender non-conforming person.

What are the different views with the terms?

Everyone one is not happy with these glossaries.

Some groups feel the word thirunar should be used for transgenders.

Others hope the nomenclature will not be helpful to those who fall outside the generalization of the benefits.

Rights activists hope the glossary is fluid because the conversation around gender and sexuality is evolving.

Recent judgments made regarding LGBTQI+

Madras High Court came out with a number of guidelines for the police, and social welfare ministries, both State and Centre, to ensure the safety of the community.

In a June 2021 order, the Madras High Court had acknowledged that social sanction is of supreme importance to lead a life of choice.

In 2018, a Bench of the Supreme Court had overturned a 2013 ruling and decriminalised homosexuality.

What are the issues still prevailing?

An individual who wants to live with dignity with his/her own identification still has to face lots of problems before enjoying liberty, autonomy and privacy guaranteed by Article 21.

The state and society often calls for traditional values to fight all sorts of phobias.

What should be the course of action?

The T. N. government has worked on the principle of suyamariyadhai or self-respect by creating inclusiveness in language for a marginalized community which is the cornerstone of the Dravidian movement.

Movement for equal rights in T.N. will have to ensure that children are not forced to go in for conversion therapy or thrown out of their homes for being different.