Uneasiness creates stir, it is okay to make people uneasy sometimes

Two human beings, X and Y one day followed each other on Instagram, they like each other's feed and felt a connection; started conversing online. Soon, they decided to meet and it was almost like love at first sight, they clicked and how. On further realisation, they decided to express their love and admiration for each other and also have plans to start staying together very soon. Now, what are the genders of X and Y? Does it matter? If it does then I think this post will make you uneasy, but I won't discourage you to read on because change comes only when we step out of our comfort zone. And for someone who is feeling uneasy, just keep pondering on one question, "What if your relationship with whoever you love is looked down upon and even made illegal?"

The legal part was handled very well by the supreme court on 6th September 2018 and that too unanimously by the whole panel in the Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India case. It was a landmark judgement that decided to strike down a law that the Britishers had imposed more than a century ago. The best part? Britishers themselves struck down this law in their constitution way before we decided to do it in ours. Even better? Most of the nations who were once under the British have long got away with this regressive penal code except Bangladesh, Pakistan, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar and Jamaica.

However, today when we celebrate two years anniversary of that landmark judgement by the Supreme Court, has the society changed? Has it become more open? more compassionate? Has it stopped poking its nose in everyone's private life? I would not answer the questions because it's sad. The fight is long from over and today when people are even having doubts like 'Now, Article 377 is scrapped, why have pride marches anymore?' it is high time to increase visibility may however uneasy it be. The times are difficult because now there are people who believe in 'I am fine with it till it happens to me or someone from my family'. This ideology is also very dangerous because it is pure unadulterated hypocrisy and after such a long battle, does this society really need hypocrisy? 

Does that mean everything is dark? Not at all. Today, the acceptability is rising in India, although it needs to be way higher still situations have improved. Given the fact that the law is now supporting the citizens, things have got better and the basic human rights are being protected. However, India is a country of villages and this whole awareness about LGBTQIA+ movements, and awareness about the rights for the people from the community have been very low at the grassroots level which needs to improve. The talks should not stop, the discussions may be uneasy but are not unimportant so it has to go on and not just during pride month but round the year.

Today, when we decide to be homophobic or sexist or racist it's our choice to be on the darker and ill side of the society. The reason being that this generation and many people who are alive and kicking right now might have been brought up in a society that is homophobic and sexist and everything bad but now after exposure to all of the good things and then given a choice when you still decide to be homophobic, you can only blame yourself and feel bad about yourself. The society has been homophobic for many during the growing up years but now we have seen it all and we can choose our sides, why not do that wisely? Why not think if for a heterosexual couple, falling in love was made illegal? If making out needed court's permission and society's approval for a heterosexual couple? Think. Thinking never goes waste.

Here is a starter pack for people looking to watch some films and willing to be compassionate or maybe suggest to people who are empathetic enough to at least think beyond the binaries; Nagarkirtan, Chitrangada, Aarekti Premer Golpo, Memories in March, Fire, Margarita with a Straw, Call Me by Your Name, God's Own Country, Moonlight, The Danish Girl, Brokeback Mountain, Blue Is the Warmest Colour, Cuatro Lunas, Weekend, Loev, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Holding the Man, Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho, Carol, Aligarh, and Kapoor & Sons. You can still do your research if you want to and like I wrote earlier, keep the conversation flowing. Uneasiness doesn't disappear in a day but if not given a stir it will go on for years to come.

Gender and sexuality are complicated for sure and does take time to understand so it is fine if you do not know it all, just try to know and try to understand humans as humans, no need to get into complications if you feel it is that unachievable. Now, do not start thinking that human emotions are also complicated, what to do about it! I do not have an answer for that, maybe we cannot run away from everything that is complicated, maybe humans were made to understand complexities which others might not understand that well.