Overview

One must respect all individuals and treat them as human, no matter their differences. For many of us, any knowledge or understanding about a person who may express and identify differently than a cis-gender and heterosexual person may be rather limited. Many assume that being lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender or queer (“LGBTQIA+”) is a mental or physical disorder and can be ‘fixed’ by medical and religious procedures and many think different representations and expressions as far as gender or sexuality is concerned don’t exist and are not ‘natural’. This may be because of several reasons but primarily because of lack of openness, non-inclusion and non-acceptance. Lack of any real time spent with anyone from the community, having preconceived notions, judgmental attitude and biases, ostracization of the members from the society, discrimination and so much more have led to non-inclusion and non-acceptance. To an extent that it has led individuals to be ‘closeted’ and not be able to freely express themselves. To an extent that when is speaking to another, one may not even be aware of their true feelings & expressions. When one’s mere existence and expression attracts violence, harassment, rejection, social isolation and much worse, drives a person to fringes of society without any social, economic, financial or other inclusion, it becomes every individual’s personal and collective responsibility as members of the society, as neighbours, colleagues, to reflect and analyse why this is happening.