What does the rainbow youth want: All we want is acceptance, acknowledgement, support and non-judgemental society, say state’s LGBTQ+ community members

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): ‘Mere legalising LGBTQ+ is not going to help the community, but what is needed is a change in people’s mindset and making people aware about different sexualities and genders,’ the rainbow youths in a talk session based on What does the rainbow youth want? on National Youth Day said.

LGBTQ+ is an acronym that means, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and the ‘+’ signifies the inclusion of every sexuality and gender that comes in the rainbow community.

Not acceptance but acknowledgement

Aditya Tiwari, queer activist said, ‘To speak is a privilege, which many people in smaller towns like Jabalpur even to this day do not have. The Indian LGBTQ+ community does not want ‘acceptance’, we want ‘acknowledgement’. Despite the Supreme Court scrapping down Article 377, the lives of queer people in non-metropolitan India is the same.’

Non-judgemental society

Prakash Jha (he/him), 28, identify as gay said that, all I want is a non-judgemental acceptance, whenever I tell someone about my sexuality. When I tell people that I am gay they ask questions like, ‘When did it happen?’ or ‘When did you turn gay’. People don’t understand that it is a personal choice and they make judgements without even knowing what it is and what it represents.’

Just listen to us

Shweta Shahi (she/her), 26, identify as queer stated, ‘I think the major issue is that people don’t know about sexuality and gender. People are curious about this topic and all they want is to question everything but they don’t want to listen to what we have to say. I feel that people who are unaware and unacceptable about LGBTQ+ should read about different sexualities and gender. The more they’ll read about it it would make it easier for them to understand.’

No sympathy, but empathy

At the end of the talk, LGBTQ+ community members mentioned, we don’t want people to sympathise with us but what we want from them is to understand us and empathise with us. We want acceptance, acknowledgement, non-judgemental society and to be understood. Everyone in the society wants us to understand the norms of society, but we want to be understood too, we want to be heard too.