‘We are not monsters’

Panel discussion on queer rights in Asia shows change happening but challenges persist; stories of hope and heart amongst hate

A panel discussion on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) rights in Asia brought together a host of panellists from India, Lebanon, Nepal and Singapore to highlight community rights in Asian countries. The freewheeling chat was on the sidelines of the Kashish Queer Film Festival that concluded at the Liberty Cinema at Marine Lines, on Sunday.

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India

The moderator Shruta Amit Rawat began the discussion with transgender actor Muskaan and another transgender, Avni, on the panel. Muskaan is a Bhopal-based transgender person. She said in the beginning, “My body is that of a man, but my mind and heart is of a woman. Bhopal is a lovely place though people have narrow minds. We still live under a cloud of fear and life is difficult.” She detailed constant questioning about how she dresses and recounted abusive, mocking comments that cut deep. Muskaan advocated that one needs a strong sense of self to combat this. “When you win the inner fight, you can win any battle,” she said.

That earned approving nods from Singapore’s drag artiste Opera Tang who had said earlier in an interactive session to a question on whether Tang had ever considered moving to countries like Thailand or to the West, “Though I have travelled to Thailand often, and to other countries, things are changing in Singapore with youth at the forefront. I would rather stay in Singapore, and fight the good fight.” That earned her applause from the audience.

Transgender Avni who also lives in Bhopal said, “Change is happening but very slowly. I wanted a housing loan from a bank, but there is no scheme for transgender persons. I have left my home five years ago and, yet it is difficult for people like me to get housing loans.”

Nepal

The discussion reached Himalayan heights (well, literally) when Sunil Babu Pant, ex-MP from Nepal, said of the current climate in the Himalayan Kingdom (Nepal), “It is heartening as a lot of people are coming out of the closet. The court has given some good decisions, but unfortunately these still have to be implemented.” On a personal level Pant told his audience, “We have a saying in Nepal which roughly translated goes like this: ‘when you catch a snake, drop it immediately’. The snake I refer to is the shame and guilt about your sexuality. Drop that, and celebrate being you. That is the starting point.”

Lebanon

There was a very interesting input from Miguel Jelelaty Obeid on whose life the film ‘Miguel’s War’ is based. He said, “I left Lebanon and have lived ‘in exile’ in Spain for more than 30 years. Though Lebanon is considered one of the most liberal countries in the Arab world, it is still very conservative. It is a very small country where Christians and Muslims, most of them, hate each other. Yet, they were together in their hatred for the LGBTQ community.” The filmmaker went on to talk about, “thriving LGBTQ communities outside of Lebanon.” It was a fascinating thumbnail sketch of the LGBTQ scene in Lebanon. Miguel added, “There is a flourishing drag queen scene in Lebanon.” As the talk moved on to equal rights there was emphasis on family too. “We want family acceptance too, we just want to be with our families,” said the panelists. Migel spoke especially of Lebanon but it has resonance in other places too, “I want people to relax and tell them we are not monsters. We are human beings with the same emotions as others.”

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