#01 Active Representation
There is this debate on 'Coming Out' among the LGBT members within the Community. Some feel that 'Coming Out' is over rated. And, it might be true*. * For some.
Whatever be the reasons, most LGBT members prefer to be 'anonymous'. And, by this write-up I do not mean to offend or judge anyone who prefer to be so. One of the lessons I learnt from the hard life of being a Gay person is not to judge anyone. As there's a quote which says "Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always."
'Coming Out' has wider implications than most seem to understand. For instance, most of my colleagues did not knew about my sexuality until I chose to be vocal about it. They did not realize there is a gay person amongst them. I maybe wrong, but around here for most of them a typical Gay person was just a pictorial figure of a trans person, or as is called in local language, 'a hijra'. If not, someone who is effeminate. I was not sure of "whats" and did not plan for "ifs" while coming out. I simply took the 'risk' for I realized it was the right thing to do. My coming out was so far a good education to most of my colleagues - that a Gay man can also be just another person like them. In crude language as per the LGBT terminology - 'a normal person'. In return, I was pleasantly surprised that most of them took it good. They showed their support and appreciation. And that's just a visible part of me coming out at work. I know it will have a deeper implications - that it would have busted out more doors in their closeted minds about what homosexuality means.
I am only trying persuade those who can to stand up for those who cant. By merely stating yourself as a Gay person whenever and wherever you can (and should), you are giving visibility to the LGBT spectrum in a larger Society. You never know how it helped someone who is struggling within. It might even have affected their surroundings by you educating the people who in turn helped the person to be who they are.
Here in India, the LGBT movement is still in it's nascent stages. While the rest of the World is fatally deciding on the fate of its LGBT members. For some it's a happy time, while for most so far it is becoming hellish. If we need to make a safe and happy time for ourselves and those of our future generations we need to have Active Representation to show our Friends and Family that we are one of them. They need to understand this part of our life. That it is yet again time for them to evolve and learn the facts that Earth is not flat and that some dudes love-and-marry dudes as well as some chicks love-and-marry chicks.
Do not under estimate the power of visibility. And, do not be selfish.
There is this debate on 'Coming Out' among the LGBT members within the Community. Some feel that 'Coming Out' is over rated. And, it might be true*. * For some.
Whatever be the reasons, most LGBT members prefer to be 'anonymous'. And, by this write-up I do not mean to offend or judge anyone who prefer to be so. One of the lessons I learnt from the hard life of being a Gay person is not to judge anyone. As there's a quote which says "Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always."
'Coming Out' has wider implications than most seem to understand. For instance, most of my colleagues did not knew about my sexuality until I chose to be vocal about it. They did not realize there is a gay person amongst them. I maybe wrong, but around here for most of them a typical Gay person was just a pictorial figure of a trans person, or as is called in local language, 'a hijra'. If not, someone who is effeminate. I was not sure of "whats" and did not plan for "ifs" while coming out. I simply took the 'risk' for I realized it was the right thing to do. My coming out was so far a good education to most of my colleagues - that a Gay man can also be just another person like them. In crude language as per the LGBT terminology - 'a normal person'. In return, I was pleasantly surprised that most of them took it good. They showed their support and appreciation. And that's just a visible part of me coming out at work. I know it will have a deeper implications - that it would have busted out more doors in their closeted minds about what homosexuality means.
I am only trying persuade those who can to stand up for those who cant. By merely stating yourself as a Gay person whenever and wherever you can (and should), you are giving visibility to the LGBT spectrum in a larger Society. You never know how it helped someone who is struggling within. It might even have affected their surroundings by you educating the people who in turn helped the person to be who they are.
Here in India, the LGBT movement is still in it's nascent stages. While the rest of the World is fatally deciding on the fate of its LGBT members. For some it's a happy time, while for most so far it is becoming hellish. If we need to make a safe and happy time for ourselves and those of our future generations we need to have Active Representation to show our Friends and Family that we are one of them. They need to understand this part of our life. That it is yet again time for them to evolve and learn the facts that Earth is not flat and that some dudes love-and-marry dudes as well as some chicks love-and-marry chicks.
Do not under estimate the power of visibility. And, do not be selfish.
