Sahodari Foundation and the office of the American Consulate General at Chennai organised a panel discussion on ‘gay pride’ to mark the Gay Pride Month.
A number of people from the LGBT (lesbian, gay bi-sexual and transgender) communities and from different walks of life participated in the discussions.
The programme took off with a video message from US President Barack Obama, followed by an introduction to the importance of observing the Gay Pride Month by Matthew K. Beh, political officer at the American Consulate General.
Focusing on the civil rights of all communities, Mr. Beh spoke about giants like Mahatma Gandhi and great American leaders who worked for human rights. He also spoke of the changed perspectives on homosexuality in recent decades.
Ms. Jayalakshmi, Deputy Director of the Tamil Nadu Government Department of Social Welfare, spoke in detail about the various steps the Tamil Nadu Government has taken to recognise and ensure the rights of the LGBT community.
She described the work of the Aravani Board, which is responsible for providing ID cards to the Aravani community members to help them access pension, housing and education.
Panellist Ms. Salma, noted writer and former chairperson of the Tamil Nadu Social Welfare Board, highlighted the rights of the Aravani community. But the star of the event was Ms. Kalki Subramaniam, founder of Sahodari who is the first transgender Indian to visit the USA for the International Visitor Leadership Programme, which focuses on human rights advocacy and awareness.
She spoke about her experiences in the USA and highlighted the measures taken to ensure protection to minorities.
However, Kalki said that she was disappointed not to able to meet with a transgender person in America during her trip.
In the open discussions that followed the talks, people commented on the various policies initiated by the government for the LGBT community and suggested improvements.
The evening wound up with the screening of About a Boy, a Hollywood movie dealing with issues faced by transgender people.
