GAY AND PROUD IN 2015
Here's a look at some defining moments of the LGBT community this year
WHEN THEY WERE PROCLAIMED, `WOMAN AND WIFE'...
It was in May this year that Smruthi Narayan and Shwetha Pai were
pronounced `woman and wife' at the City Hall in San Francisco -making
them the first lesbian couple from Hyderabad to be united in marriage.
They had to shift base to Hyderabad from Bengaluru amidst threats from
families that also forced them to go into hiding for a few months, apart
from facing humiliation and shaming. After 10 longs years of being in a
relationship, they are happy to have received the legal tag.
GAZETTED OFFICER GOES FROM `SIR' TO `MADAM'
Ratikanta Pradhan, a 32-year-old serving in the Orissa Financial
Service, came out to the public as a transgender.Aishwarya Rutuparna
Pradhan, as she calls herself, says the April 15, 2014, Supreme Court
ruling recognising transgenders under the third gender category and
guaranteeing their constitutional rights, gave her courage. She said,
“After the judgement, I switched over to sari. Those who addressed me as
`sir' are now calling me `madam'.“
INDIA GETS ITS FIRST TRANSGENDER SI
From Pradeep Kumar to K Prithika Yashini, the journey of this
25-year-old has been anything but easy. From being confused about her
gender to which washroom to use in school, she grew up scared. Today,
she is India's first transgender sub-inspector of police. In February,
she applied for the post of a sub-inspector, but was rejected on the
grounds that Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services a Recruitment Board doesn't
have a third-gender catego ry. Determined, she moved the petition in the
Madras High Court, which eventually led to her recruitment.
MR GAY WORLD (INDIA) FORCED TO DROP OUT OF PAGEANT, BUT BECOMES THE VOICE AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA
In the country of Section 377, if you are gay and gorgeous, you are
guilty. Or so Thahir Mohammed Sayyed was made to believe when he was
compelled to opt out of the Mr Gay World pageant this year, where he was
to represent India. “I hope the organisers appreciate the difficulties I
faced. I cannot take this pressure,“ said the 28-year-old model and
designer, over a flurry of homophobic abuse back home, not just to
himself but also his family in Kochi.The pressure was so much that
Thahir had to go incommunicado and even deactivated his social
networking account. His family too had to go into hiding post the
backlash. But in the midst of all that, Thahir became a poster boy of
sorts, with support pouring in for him from all over the world.
WHEN LILY-ROSE GOT SELF-EVIDENT
Johnny Depp's daughter and model Lily Rose made a subtle statement about
her sexuality by taking part in a quirky campaign aimed at promoting
society's acceptance of LGBT people in America. Tillet Wright, who was
behind this campaign, shared a picture with her online, writing, “I'm so
proud of my baby girl. She decided she wanted to be in
@selfevidentproject because she falls somewhere on the vast spectrum,
and I couldn't be happier to welcome her to the family.“
KRISTEN'S RELATIONSHIP WITH HER PA
Two years after Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson's break-up, her
mother Jules Stewar, confirmed that Kristen is now dating her personal
assistant, Alicia Cargile. It is quite an obvious confirmation of the
actress' bisexuality.
WHEN BRUCE BECAME CAITLYN
Caitlyn Jenner After much
speculation, Bruce Jenner also came out as a transgender in an
interview. The former Olympian, who was previously married to Kardashian
matriarch, Kris Jenner, said, “I am a woman.My whole life has been
getting me ready for this.“
PRO ACTION SPORTS STAR ANNOUNCES HE'S GAY
The top freestyle skier in the world and a silver medalist from the
Sochi Olympics, Gus Kenworthy, announced that he was gay in a magazine
interview. He is the first pro action sports star to come out publicly.
“Hiding everything away is so painful. I mean you're constantly lying
and you're constantly feeling like you're being deceitful,“ Kenworthy
said and added, “I'm at that point where I'm ready to open up and let
everyone see me for me, and I hope they accept it.“
