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SEXUAL MINORITIES, A sexual minority is a group whose sexual identity, orientation or practices differ from the, majority of the mainstream society. Sexual minorities includes lesbian, gay, bisexual and, transgender individuals. The male - female binary that has been considered as the straight, behaviour, creates problems for the existence of sexual minorities., Historically sexual minorities have been isolated by all societies. They were denied existence, and opportunities and were not even considered as normal human beings. They were, subjected to violence and were exploited., Discrimination is faced by LGBTQ at various levels, be it at home or be it outside the home., The struggle of people in this community starts from the moment they are born. Families are, ashamed to reveal the identity of their family members and they treat it as disease and, accordingly treat them badly. The discrimination against the homosexual people is fairly, common. It is very difficult for a person to express their preferences just because it is, unacceptable by their family members., They are subjected to social exclusion, discrimination, stigma and atrocities. This affects, their self-esteem and sense of social responsibility. Sexual minorities feel that they are, different from the others, during their adolescence. Many of them are forced to marry, (heterosexual relationships) against their will because of family and societal pressure. These, marriages end up in marital disharmony, divorce or continue with poor quality of life. Legal, inheritance is often denied by their family members., Most of them realize their sexual conditions during adolescence and many of them end up, their education. Hence, illiteracy is very common among the sexual minority. They are not, considered for government jobs. Even if they have a job, they are suspended from the job, once their gender identity/sexual orientation is revealed. They were not allowed inside, hotels, hospitals, cinema halls, and government offices as indeed in most public spaces., Discrimination and non-friendly environment at work place force them to take up begging, and prostitution for their livelihood., Sexual minorities find it difficult to get a house on rent. Many of them do not get voter ID,, ration card, passport, caste certificate and medical certificate. They also get excluded in the, population census. Hence, they were a non-existent or an invisible community, who do not, get included in any social and health policy. Media has also played a negative role in, depicting them as violent and criminal., Sexual minorities are discriminated against in the case of health care facilities. For, example, transgenders do not have a separate ward in any hospital or any beds reserved for, them. Their access to health care needs to be ensured because they are at a high-risk for, various physical and mental illnesses. Sexual minorities are at high risk of getting affected, with sexually transmitted diseases., Sexual minorities may have emotional disorders because of the stigma and discrimination., Transgenders mostly leave their house because of parental rejection. They are physically,, verbally, and sexually abused within their house and in public places. Sexual minority
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adolescents leave home more frequently in search of their identity, and are victimized and, forced for sex more often. The depression and trauma leads to drug addiction and, alcoholism., They are also high-risk victims of physical, sexual, economical and emotional violence from, the so-called normal community., , The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019, , The Indian Parliament passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019, which prohibits discrimination against Transgender with respect to education, employment, and the ability to rent or buy property. This Bill mandates for legal gender recognition in a, two step process:, It requires an individual to apply for “Transgender Certificate” from the District Magistrate of, their residence. This is also applicable in case of a person’s self-declared identity., Consequently, the certificate holder can apply for a “change in gender certificate,” which, signals to authorities to change their legal gender to male or female with a proof of medical, surgery, issued by a hospital office., Section 377, Article 377 of the British colonial penal code criminalized all sexual acts "against the order of, nature". This law was used to prosecute with homosexual activity., On 6 September 2018, the Supreme Court declared that Section 377 was unconstitutional, as it criminalises consensual sexual conduct between adults of the same sex.The Supreme, Court declared that homosexuality is not an offence in India., LGBTQ, LGBTQ is an initialism for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer. These terms are, used to describe sexual orientation or gender identity of a person. LGBTQ functions as an, umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. It refer to all those who are non heterosexual, . From 1988 the activists began to use the initialism in USA. It can be considered as a, positive symbol of inclusion., COMING OUT, Coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual, orientation or of their gender identity. The German homosexual rights advocate Karl Heinrich, Ulrichs introduced the idea of self-disclosure as a means of emancipation. He said that, invisibility was a major obstacle toward changing public opinion, he asked homosexual, people to reveal their same-sex attractions.
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In the late 1960s, coming out became a key strategy of the gay liberation movement to raise, political consciousness to counter heterosexism and homophobia. Every coming out story is, the person trying to come to terms with who they are and their sexual orientation., Coming out refers to the process that people who are LGBTQ go through as they work to, accept their sexual orientation or gender identity and share that identity openly with other, people. Coming out is a very brave thing to do, and it's extremely personal and different for, everyone., Nowadays many reveal their gender identity through social media., Coming out may lead to or may be afraid of,, Loss of relationships with friends or family, Harassment or abuse, Being thrown out of the family, Being thrown out of the house, Discrimination, Being seen as sick, immoral, or perverted, Loss of financial support, Not being accepted in their religious community, Losing their job, Having their professional credibility questioned or undermined, Physical violence., QUEERYTHM, Queerythm is a registered community-based organization for the LGBTIQ (Lesbian, Gay,, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer) people. Started as a support group (with regular, monthly meetings on first Saturdays) for queer individuals, we aim for a society free of, discrimination against gender and sexual minorities., The organisation conducts various programs against homophobia and mandatory, heterosexuality., QUEERALA, Queerala is an organisation for Malayali LGBTIQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender,, Intersex and Queer) people. This was started as a support group Facebook page for, individuals interested in queer topics. Its aim is a society free of discrimination against, gender minorities., Queerala, a registered community based Organisation (CBO) for Malayali LGBTIQ people,, gives support to Malayali persons who belong to the sexual and gender minorities. Queerala, originally started in May 2013 as a secret Facebook page where LGBTQAI+ community, members met over the internet. Since its start of operations, Queerala has been an active, platform for the rights of the LGBTIQ+ community in Kerala and India and focuses on, various awareness campaigns on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity/Expression and Sex, Characteristics . Queerala's representatives has been marking its presence, in areas of
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literature, art, cultural spaces, academic discourses as well, besides conducting case studies, on issues pertaining to sexual orientation and gender identity. They also focus on, sensitisation on gender issues through inclusive healthcare services, educational curriculum,, workplace policies and local self governance. Jijo Kuriakose is one of the founding members, of the organisation., , SGMFK, Sexual and Gender Minority Federation of Kerala. SGMFK acts as the bridge between, different organisations and NGOs in the state working for transgender welfare. It organised, the first transgender athletics meet in India at Thiruvananthapuram. In association with, Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority, it conducted a survey in which some 2,000, transgender school dropouts were identified. SGMFK also helped to form district boards for, transgender welfare in association with Kerala State Legal Service Authority., Sree Kutty, state president of Sexual and Gender Minority Federation Kerala (SGMFK).
