Image courtesy: Caravan Magazine
In 2015, a gay equal rights activist’s mother placed a matrimonial ad in a local newspaper in Mumbai saying that she was looking for a groom for her son. It was dubbed as India’s first gay matrimonial ad. While the same-sex requirement was extraordinary, the ad stirred the air for one of her other expectations from the groom- that he should preferably be an Iyer. Brahmins constitute the highest group in India’s caste hierarchy and the Iyers are a community of Tamil Brahmins. The fact that the ad is a welcome challenge to the rejection of same-sex marriage by law and society is undeniable. It was infact seen as a threat by quite a few newspapers who refused to publish it. Routine newspaper matrimonial ads are often segregated by categories of caste, implying that matrimonial alliances are sought between those caste categories only. However, the courageous stance of the ad is narrow as it doesn’t challenge the caste characteristic of Indian matrimony. The fact that this ad too, called for segregation under a caste category overshadowed its strong and ‘radical’ stance on same-sex marriage. She said that the caste expectation was added only in jest to make the ad appear customary like the routine caste-obsessed matrimonial ads, while her son urged everyone to construe the word “preference" loosely because bias, whether spoken or unspoken, always exists. This ad is both progressive and orthodox- while it takes a step towards advancement of equal rights for the gender/sexual minority, it is okay with caste discrimination.
Differentiating between castes is deemed essential for purposes like reservations in educational or government institutions for people belonging to historically marginalized and disadvantaged communities. But matrimonial ads are unchallenged agencies of caste discrimination which often keep away Dalits from matrimonial alliances with upper-caste Hindus. The meaning of the word “Dalit”- downtrodden, broken or crushed, stares the centuries of exclusion and injustice in the face. The Dalits were the “untouchables” engaged in cleaning tasks and manual scavenging. Despite its progressive prospect of same-sex marriage, this ad highlights the presence of upper caste Hindu communities and the exclusion of Dalits in the LGBTQI movement. Hence, it also speaks of the exclusion of LGBTQI people in anti-caste mobilisations.
Anti-caste mobilisations and movements have a much older history than the LGBTQI movement in India. When questions pertaining to caste-and-LGBT arise, many put forth the argument that it is not always possible for one discriminated community to understand the intricacies of discrimination suffered by another community. This argument isn’t true because such impossibility can only arise if the two discriminated groups are mutually exclusive. But caste and the gender/sexual minority are not mutually exclusive. Dalit individuals also identify as LGBTQI+ and transgender groups like the Jogappas are also identified by their caste. However, these groups receive no visibility in this already poorly visible sphere. LGBTQI+ mobilisations are plagued by the virtual absence of Dalits. The other side of the coin sees the lack of participation of openly LGBTQ people in anti-caste mobilisations.
Hence, it becomes important to establish a solidarity between the two-movements by analyzing their similarities and dissimalirites and focusing on the areas in which the two interact. One step towards this was taken by Delhi’s Queer Pride 2015. The eighth edition of Delhi Pride saw participation from people from various movements of resistance marching in solidarity with the LGBTQI movement and movements for a wide range of other freedoms which are under threat, be it pertaining to caste, class, disability and religion or even the freedom of non-violent dissent. Delhi Pride saw quite some visible participation of Dalit queer people, thus seeking to combat casteism which stigmatizes and subjugates millions of people belonging to the lower castes.
Delhi’s Queer Pride sends out a message that freedom for the gender/sexual minority is inseparable from other freedoms and a wider space for diversity. Queer freedom cannot be complete in a world not only unless the common oppressor, patriarchy, is resisted, but also unless we respect multiple identities, like Dalit and queer, Muslim and queer, Tribal and queer, etc.
In 2015, a gay equal rights activist’s mother placed a matrimonial ad in a local newspaper in Mumbai saying that she was looking for a groom for her son. It was dubbed as India’s first gay matrimonial ad. While the same-sex requirement was extraordinary, the ad stirred the air for one of her other expectations from the groom- that he should preferably be an Iyer. Brahmins constitute the highest group in India’s caste hierarchy and the Iyers are a community of Tamil Brahmins. The fact that the ad is a welcome challenge to the rejection of same-sex marriage by law and society is undeniable. It was infact seen as a threat by quite a few newspapers who refused to publish it. Routine newspaper matrimonial ads are often segregated by categories of caste, implying that matrimonial alliances are sought between those caste categories only. However, the courageous stance of the ad is narrow as it doesn’t challenge the caste characteristic of Indian matrimony. The fact that this ad too, called for segregation under a caste category overshadowed its strong and ‘radical’ stance on same-sex marriage. She said that the caste expectation was added only in jest to make the ad appear customary like the routine caste-obsessed matrimonial ads, while her son urged everyone to construe the word “preference" loosely because bias, whether spoken or unspoken, always exists. This ad is both progressive and orthodox- while it takes a step towards advancement of equal rights for the gender/sexual minority, it is okay with caste discrimination.
Differentiating between castes is deemed essential for purposes like reservations in educational or government institutions for people belonging to historically marginalized and disadvantaged communities. But matrimonial ads are unchallenged agencies of caste discrimination which often keep away Dalits from matrimonial alliances with upper-caste Hindus. The meaning of the word “Dalit”- downtrodden, broken or crushed, stares the centuries of exclusion and injustice in the face. The Dalits were the “untouchables” engaged in cleaning tasks and manual scavenging. Despite its progressive prospect of same-sex marriage, this ad highlights the presence of upper caste Hindu communities and the exclusion of Dalits in the LGBTQI movement. Hence, it also speaks of the exclusion of LGBTQI people in anti-caste mobilisations.
Anti-caste mobilisations and movements have a much older history than the LGBTQI movement in India. When questions pertaining to caste-and-LGBT arise, many put forth the argument that it is not always possible for one discriminated community to understand the intricacies of discrimination suffered by another community. This argument isn’t true because such impossibility can only arise if the two discriminated groups are mutually exclusive. But caste and the gender/sexual minority are not mutually exclusive. Dalit individuals also identify as LGBTQI+ and transgender groups like the Jogappas are also identified by their caste. However, these groups receive no visibility in this already poorly visible sphere. LGBTQI+ mobilisations are plagued by the virtual absence of Dalits. The other side of the coin sees the lack of participation of openly LGBTQ people in anti-caste mobilisations.
Hence, it becomes important to establish a solidarity between the two-movements by analyzing their similarities and dissimalirites and focusing on the areas in which the two interact. One step towards this was taken by Delhi’s Queer Pride 2015. The eighth edition of Delhi Pride saw participation from people from various movements of resistance marching in solidarity with the LGBTQI movement and movements for a wide range of other freedoms which are under threat, be it pertaining to caste, class, disability and religion or even the freedom of non-violent dissent. Delhi Pride saw quite some visible participation of Dalit queer people, thus seeking to combat casteism which stigmatizes and subjugates millions of people belonging to the lower castes.
Delhi’s Queer Pride sends out a message that freedom for the gender/sexual minority is inseparable from other freedoms and a wider space for diversity. Queer freedom cannot be complete in a world not only unless the common oppressor, patriarchy, is resisted, but also unless we respect multiple identities, like Dalit and queer, Muslim and queer, Tribal and queer, etc.