Thiruvananthapuram: It was a workshop conducted by Centre for Development Studies in May 2017, to build LGBTIQ-friendly panchayats, where the idea for an official handbook on sexual and gender minorities for local bodies was proposed.
A year later, the booklet has been produced by the RULSG unit at CDS. It was put together with inputs from community members by Queerythm and Queerala.
Now it is about to be used by KILA to prepare a training module for panchayat officials and people's representatives, according to KILA director Joy Elamon.
On Thursday, the booklet was released by Kishor Kumar, the author of 'Randu Purushanmar Chumbikkumbol: Malayali Gayude Atmakathayum Ezhuthukalum', at CDS in Thiruvananthapuram.
The handbook was unique because sexual orientation, not just gender identity was covered, according to him. Kerala State Planning Board member Dr B. Ekbal, who supervised the making of the book with IIT-M faculty Tiju Thomas, said that there was no exaggeration in saying that this was a dream come true. Even today, the man who designed the booklet cover and another who prepared some of its content are gay men who cannot afford to reveal their sexual orientation, said Queerala founder Jijo Kuriakose. The handbook is intended to create a society, where the SOGI minorities can come out without fear.
