If you’re in town, and able to attend, please join us to celebrate this birthday!

Sunday, Dec 26, 2021, 4 – 6 pm
ICSA first floor mini-conference hall
107 Pantheon Road, Egmore
Chennai 600008

For more information, email orinam.net@gmail.com WhatsApp 98415 57983 or visit orinam.net. If you are not able to attend in person because you are not in town or hesitate to join in person because of Covid risk, please join us online for the celebrations, Zoom in at http://tinyurl.com/orinam-18

View the discussion (English, Tanglish)  below.

Resource centre for Youth Mental Health by SCARF is an inclusive space for youth from different walks of life. Orinam is an all unregistered collective of LGBTIQA+ people and allies based in Chennai,Tamil Nadu. It functions as a support, cultural, and activist space.

Suhavana- Clinical Psychologist, SCARF
Dwarak – Mental Health Counsellor
Mujeebur Rahman – from Orinam
Namithaa – Gender and Sexuality Educator

Resource Center for Youth Mental health by SCARF – on Instagram @ryms_scarf
rYMs Email : ryms@scarfindia.org
SCARF : 044 2615 1073
SCARF COVID HELPLINE : +91 7305928515
Email: info@scarfindia.org
Website http://www.scarfindia.org/

A S L. I was 22, M, Guindy. Sometimes, in other rooms, I was also 23, Female, Guindy, so that I could chat with horny straight men. It gave me a chance to imagine myself to be a completely different person. Language can be a very capacious space, if you allow it. It was fun to pretend to be a woman until they asked “cam2cam?” for the fourth or fifth time and grew impatient. Then I’d leave the room.

Dial-up internet connection. When you clicked “connect” two cute little computer icons in the corner of the screen would start lighting up alternately, a little something moving back and forth between both. Things are so different these days! Now, you can find out that your potential mate is 63 feet away. He may not be into you, but that’s a different sad story.

Those little flickers of light appearing in the two tiny computer icons — like the distant shimmer of two stars — were part of the landscape of our desires in those days. Those little green flickers meant that you could take your secret desires, those stirrings that dared not speak their name,  and launch yourself on to a web that some giant spider had cast all over the world.

If those little flickers of light did their work, within a matter of seconds you could be asking, “Have place? Want to meet?” to a man, a stranger, who might then appear on a grainy webcam that shows the paint peels on the walls of the internet center he is at more clearly than his face. But the cam would be clear enough for you to see his eyes darting around to make sure no one around him was watching him, his hands undoing the top button of his shirt to show you his chest hair because, well, you asked to see it. If you liked him, you could plan to meet. Where? That was the problem. Even heterosexual couples had to hide themselves under flimsy umbrellas in the blazing heat of marina beach. They were often chased away by cops, bothered by cheeky little boys who would pester them to buy sundal. But we’d meet anyway. Somehow. Some place.

But sometimes we didn’t meet. That little glimpse of a real person on the grainy, blurry web-cam, seeing him type something there and seeing the words appear on your screen: “You like to suck?” was sometimes just enough. Enough to get off on, I mean. Just the glimpse of a potentiality, that someone out there, perhaps just a ride away on 45B or 23C, who was eager for you to suck him off, was good enough. Or perhaps that was just me. Maybe it was only my sex life that was so pathetic!

Anyway. On that summer afternoon, I was waiting online for a specific entity – TallGuy1890. I had chatted with him a few times earlier. He’d said he was in Hyderabad, so there was no danger that he might as me to meet him right away. I had ended my previous chat with him abruptly, because he had started talking to me about a support group for gay and bisexual men in Chennai, an online forum which also had periodic offline presence. He was a part of it, and he asked me if I wanted to know more. I was both excited and terrified at the prospect. So I ended the chat quickly.

But that week, I was desperate for a sign of hope. I was plumbing the great depths of depression. I was in that particularly painful place where I really wanted to kill myself but did not have the courage to do it. I used to hate myself for that cowardice, but now I think it is the best kind of cowardice. I am very glad now that I used to be that kind of coward.

Anyway, TallGuy1890 entered the chat room, and I pinged him on a separate chat window. I told him I wanted to know about the support group he had mentioned. He told me about Orinam, which used to be Movenpick/MP then. I created a new yahoo ID, with a new fake name, and subscribed to the group.

A lot has happened in the last 14 years since I entered that support space both online and offline. New friendships happened. Some of them fizzled out. Relationships happened. Some of them fizzled out, too. Activism happened. Community engagement happened. Withdrawal happened. But one thing has been constant since I found this community — I never feel alone. I might feel lonely. I think that is part of the human condition. But I never feel I have to encounter life situations alone. And you know what else? Through community, I also learned what it means to matter to others. Not to a whole lot of people. To a handful. It is amazing to know we really matter to a few people, isn’t it?

That’s the greatest gift this small queer world has given me. And I am forever grateful for that.

And, oh, I did meet TallGuy1890 in person.

Did we have sex?

It is none of your business!

Notes:
1. This piece was first shared at Orinam’s Chennai Pride 2018 edition of Quilt: June 17, 2018, and is being published in conjunction with Orinam’s 15th anniversary celebrations on December 25, 2018.

2. Image credits: Author: BSGStudio from all-free-download.com. 

On Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), Nov 20, 2018, we at Orinam honour the memory of Anannya Krishnan.

Anannya, a transgender woman, reached out to us in 2016 and joined one of our online groups, Gender Euphoria. Over the months, she grew more and more confident with disclosing and living in her true gender. She also emerged as a source of support to other young transgender people.

A pharmacologist by training,  she managed to land a corporate job  as a Drug Safety Associate: a job at which she was able to be out in the workplace.

She signed on to Sampoorna’s Open Letter of Sept 23, 2017 to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Transgender Persons Bill,  gave a public talk (TEDxNapierBridgeWomen, Nov 5, 2017,  and also spoke at a British Council panel discussion on Diversity and Inclusion on Dec 9, 2017, representing Orinam.

Her struggles to find a place to live, and the strife within her family, proved too much to handle, and she took her life on Dec 30, 2017.

On this day, TDOR 2018, Orinam and Diversity Dialogues dedicate our guide Transgender-Affirming Guidelines for Indian Workplaces to the memory of Anannya.

Anannya’s TEDxNapierBridgeWomen talk may be viewed below.

Note:
Some resources including suicide helplines are at https://new2.orinam.net/crisis-support

Contacts: dialogues.diversity@gmail.com, orinam.net@gmail.com

TRANSGENDER-AFFIRMING GUIDELINES FOR INDIAN WORKPLACES

Two community collectives, Orinam in Chennai and Diversity Dialogues in Bangalore, have launched a guide for employers  who seek to make workplaces inclusive and welcoming of transgender employees, and support employees who are choosing to come out as transgender.

Being transgender, intersex, non-binary or genderqueer (henceforth transgender+) is a challenge to finding and retaining education and employment in India. The few individuals who manage to acquire education and access to employment opportunities constantly face a choice between affirming their true (gender) identities and staying in long-term careers.

Many workplaces in India are already likely to have transgender+ individuals working with them. These individuals, who may have been recruited through mainstream recruitment channels and are actively contributing to the business, may not openly identify as transgender and are perhaps living and expressing in the gender assigned at birth, and are forced to conform/pass as cis-gender. Some others may be transgender and living in their preferred gender(s), without disclosing their gender assigned at birth.

Very few employers in India are known to be inclusive of transgender+ individuals and/or allow/support their gender affirmation within the company.

Orinam believes that “Organizations committed to diversity and inclusion need to create a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for transgender+ employees, both existing employees and new recruits, to be recognized in their gender, and create channels for requesting support if and when required.”

“Affirming the gender of transgender employees, with respect to inclusive policies and benefits, is an essential part of creating an inclusive environment. The resource guide from Orinam and Diversity Dialogues is an attempt to encourage HR professionals or business leaders to implement the guide and build inclusive practices towards the transgender+ community.” said Diversity Dialogues.

“As transgender+ persons we go through unnecessary scrutiny at interviews or otherwise. People sometimes think it is their right to ask deeply personal information about our genitalia, about our sex lives, about our transition surgeries. While all they should be caring about are our names and pronouns, treating us like regular individuals. The guide provides essentials about culture and acceptable behavior required for organizations to be transgender+ affirmative”, says Aditya Batavia, who works at an Indian retail conglomerate, and identifies as a man.

“As a transgender person and IT professional, I have had to refrain from potential job opportunities, faced micro-aggression, and been denied client-facing moments because of my identity/expression. The anxieties and fear of discrimination, difficulties in finding another job, and risk of losing livelihood prevent many of us transgender+ people from revealing our true gender and force us to live dual lives. Post- the NALSA and 377 verdicts it’s the right time for business community to pitch in and address discrimination faced by transgender+ community in their organizations as they now have moral and legal obligations to ensure a safe, inclusive and healthy workplace“, says Kanaga, a transwoman working as Domain consultant for a large Indian IT services provider

“Understanding issues related to transgender identity at work place (just as other issues related to diversity and inclusion) is a layered matter which will have to be revisited and updated from time to time and experience to experience. An open and embracing attitude and kindness is the key. I feel this document clearly shows the sincerity and hard work put into recognizing core issues related to transgender persons’  inclusion at workplaces and is very beautifully put together” says Shyam Balasubramanian, an assigned female at birth transgende, transmasculine person, who works as a DFT engineer in the semiconductor/chip design industry.

Most of the recommendations in this guide are relevant to all institutions: corporates, not-for-profit NGOs, government departments, public sector undertakings, or any other.  The guidance around acknowledging self-identification of transgender persons flows from the directives of the Supreme Court of India’s landmark 2014 ruling on transgender rights in National Legal Services Authority vs. Union of India and Ors.

The guide is dedicated to  the memory of Anannya Krishnan, a transgender woman in Chennai who was part of the Orinam collective. Despite a promising career as a pharmacologist in the  drug safety vertical of a Chennai business, Anannya faced numerous struggles to find a place to live, and have her family acknowledge her gender identity. These struggles proved too much to handle, and she took her life on Dec 30, 2017.

Diversity and inclusion is an intent and can be implemented by every organization, irrespective of nature of work, size, scale or anything else. The recommendations in this guide urge organizations to embark on this journey.

The guide may be downloaded here.

Also view: Employers’ Guide to Making Indian Workplaces LGBTIQ+ inclusive and Videos on LGBT+ inclusion at Indian workplaces

Follow Diversity Dialogues on Facebook , YouTube and instagram @dialoguesdiversity

Follow Orinam on Facebook and Twitter @chennaipride, and visit our website www.orinam.net

Theatre is increasingly gaining recognition as a therapeutic tool, and Chennai has seen other efforts such as the Playback Theatre, and workshops by Mangai and Srijith that have explored this concept in the queer/trans context.

To learn more about the facilitator and the concept, please view a presentation here.

The theatre workshop will be held on Sunday May 6, 2018, from 3 pm to 7 pm. A total of 25 participants will be enrolled and must register before-hand. Participation is free, through donations to help defray costs of venue are welcome.

To sign up, please enter your details in the form at
https://tinyurl.com/lgbtiqa-theatre-chennai-may6

For more information, mail Brindaa c/o orinam.net@gmail.com.

Special instructions for participants: Please wear loose-fitting comfortable clothes in which you can move. We suggest not wearing jeans, sarees or any tight attire.

*Chennai Queer Cafe is a social and support space for queer women in Chennai.

Venue: Goethe-Institut Chennai | Max Mueller Bhavan, 4 Rutland Gate 5th Street,  Nungambakkam, Chennai

Dates:
July 29: Friday 6 pm – 9 pm (3 hours)
July 30: Saturday 3 pm – 9 pm (6 hours)
July 31: Sunday 3 pm – 9 pm (6 hours)

Information: 98415-57983, chennaiintlqueerfilmfest@gmail.com and website ciqff.org

A collection of Chennai-based collectives and NGOs working on gender and sexuality, in partnership with Goethe-Institut Chennai | Max Mueller Bhavan brings you Reel Desires: Chennai International Queer Film Festival, July 29-31, 2016. Reel Desires is a three-day series of feature films, shorts, and documentaries showcasing sexuality and gender diversity issues.  The 26 films selected for this year span eight countries, and include shorts, documentaries and feature length films. They collectively chronicle the global struggle for rights of lesbian, gay, bi and transgender people, explore individual and collective journeys that cross physical and metaphorical borders, and reflect the universality and specificity of LGBT lives across space and time.

The principal organisers are Orinam, a local collective that has been working since 2003 to end discrimination and provide social and support spaces for the LGBTQI communities in Chennai, Goethe-Institut and several community groups and NGOs including Nirangal, RIOV, SAATHII, and East-West Center for Counseling.

Highlights include Hansal Mehta’s acclaimed feature Aligarh, a depiction of the life of Prof Siras, who succumbed to homophobia at the university where he was teaching. Shorts from Germany’s Berlinale andDresden film festivals will also be screened at Reel Desires.

This year, Reel Desires, is pleased to partner with British Council in presenting a selection of shorts from fiveFilms4freedom, the world’s first global, digital LGBT film festival. fiveFilms4freedom is selection of  audience favourites from BFI Flare, London’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Film Festival, and are being screened in select cities, including Chennai.

Besides films, Reel Desires will also feature dance performances by members of the community Ponni, Anjali and Taejha Singh, and a panel discussion on Ending Gender-and Sexuality-based Violence.

Reel Desires is a reminder of our common humanity that transcends boundaries of sexuality, gender identity and culture.

Media are invited to kindly preview and/or review the event. For more information, including content for curtain-raisers, hi-res images, and interviews with filmmakers, contact chennaiintlqueerfilmfest@gmail.com, text 98415-57983 and visit website ciqff.org

I entered the hall just when Vikram Sundarraman was introducing the panel and the discussion began. Dr.Kalpana Karunakaran led the talk with her insights on how it all began with man’s need to brand and establish his ownership not only over property but also on his kin and how it acted as a root cause for the advent of casteism and the numerous rotten rules imposed based on gender. This brief on patriarchy was an eye- opener, because it had never occurred to me that the reasons for some of the issues we face now are buried deeply in our society’s past. With that came the realization that it was not going to be easy for one to usher in a positive change. Difficult but not impossible.

Then it was the turn of our very own Ramki, who effortlessly transported us from the ancient India to a modern and hi-fi genetics lab where he discussed the commonly used arguments against homosexuality. Yes, you guessed it right, the “unnatural” word. He not only brought up a lot of examples to demonstrate how natural and widely prevalent homosexuality is among non-human vertebrate species. He also summarized the various arguments used in the past and present to disparage homosexuality. Some of these arguments are based on religious proscriptions, and others on limited or false understanding of the science. He conclude by pointing out that arguments rooted in biology/genetics are neither necessary nor sufficient to make the case for equal rights for all, regardless of sexuality or gender identity.

Then there was Mr.Ravi  with arguments that could silence anyone who opposes LGBT equality in the name of religion. He cited various archaic religious texts which are not only clearly out dated and ludicrous in the present day context but also how they contain contradicting statements in themselves. Right from Manusmriti, the Vedas to the Christian scriptures, this man hardly left any stone unturned. He presented two approaches one could take to address homophobia grounded in religion: a confrontational attitude pointing out the ridiculousness of other religious strictures, or a conciliatory approach that draws on scriptural statements about love, compassion and respect for humanity.

Following him was Ms. Poongkhulali, who presented the most realistic picture of the legal battle surrounding Section 377 of the IPC. She compared the judgements of the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court on the subject matter in 2009 and 2013,  respectively, summarized the review petitions and potential legal steps ahead. She candidly pointed out the flaws in the legal reasoning, the callous way in which the Supreme Court overlooked the genuine reasons behind the review petititions and ignored the pleas of the LGBT supporters. It appeared, she said, that the Supreme Court had  made up its mind to uphold 377, and later made up flimsy reasons to back up its decision. ‘

Then Ms. Shambhavi shifted the focus of the discusion from battling with the legal system to battles we fight within our families. Everytime I try to answer my friends’ questions about how am I going deal with my family when I have to come out to them, I am simply branded selfish and inconsiderate of others’ feelings. The way Shambhavi sensitively dealt with that topic put forward her justifications was very mature. She also spoke about alternative systems in place of patriarchal families.

The five course meal was not all: there were many amuse-bouches too. By this, I refer to the insightful questions by the audience. Several questions were raised on hetero-normative roles, sex education, LGBT in politics, the possible implications of decriminalizing consensual sexual acts.  Each question brought in a different perspective on the topic. And the occasional funny comment to ease the mood was like a sip of a lemon chiller.

This event was the first time I had come across a large group of people who were not necessarily members of the LGBT community, but were refreshingly open to the views, justifications and opinions of the community. Usually when this topic is raised among my friends and colleagues, I tend to use personal arguments to make my case for equality. Following this panel, I now have tons of arguments – be they science or religion,  social or legal.

I am determined to not stay silent ever again in a place where I feel the need to voice out for the cause. The next time I do so it would be not only for me but for my entire community. I strongly believe if these numbers of supporters can be amplified, then the courts have no alternative but to listen to our plea. Thanks to Chennai Freethinkers, its amicable volunteers, their wonderful hospitality and for jointly organizing this event with the Orinam group.

And about the Orinam group, this was the first time I had closely interacted with a group of LGBT activists and am glad it was with Orinam that I started. Every member was a delight to talk to, and the spirit and knowledge each member brought to the group was remarkable. The informative interactions, not to forget the sense of humour, are truly the hallmark of the group, and I am looking forward to be a part of many more events.  Bon appetit!

Video below, courtesy Chennai Freethinkers [see errata**]:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xLsZ6u0SMU

** Errata:

About: Thinkfest is the annual programme organized by Chennai Freethinkers, a regional group of Nirmukta, during which science popularizers, humanists and freethought activists are invited to share their ideas with the general public. The panel was enabled by Vikram Sundarraman, who describes himself as “someone who has questioned both gender and is religion for a long time and now passionately involved in promoting LGBT rights and freethinking.” The speakers were members and friends of Orinam, an organization working for the cause of LGBT rights.

The panel included:
• Dr. Kalpana Karunakaran, who has worked in the areas of gender, health and microcredit, and teaches in the Dept. of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Madras
• Poongkhulali B., an advocate practicing in the various courts in Madras
• Shambhavi, a volunteer with Orinam, based in Chennai
• Ravichander R. who works in an NGO providing education to under-privileged children
• Dr. L Ramakrishnan, a public health professional, biologist, and LGBT rights advocate from Chennai

This report was originally posted on movenpick, the mailing list of the Orinam collective, and has also been cross-posted on the Nirmukta site.

Man for a Day

a film* exploring female masculinities

by Katarina Peters (96 min)
Monday, 17.3.2014 at 7.00 p.m.

Diane Torr and Katarina Peters will be in attendance

For more information, email orinamwebber@gmail.com

* What makes a man a man? What makes a woman a woman? How is gender identity formatted? What is natural and what is learned or indoctrinated? Is gender simply a mere set of gestures that men/women can acquire? Is it possible to discover whether through a self-conscious transformation from one gender to another one can create a sense of self-liberation and furthermore expand one’s boundaries with regard to male/female behavior?

The worldwide stage appearances and workshops of the gender activist and performance artist Diane Torr, are legendary. Her investigation is in a theoretical and hands-on approach to experimentation with gender identity. Katarina Peters casted and observed a Berlin Workshop taught by Diane Torr, in which a group of open-minded women acquainted themselves with the secrets of manliness. We meet women of various backgrounds: a 22 year old East German beauty queen; a political researcher from Munich; an Angolan single mother; and an Israeli lesbian, among others.

Trailer here:

Chennai has been organizing LGBT film screenings since 2004, including film festivals in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2012. Local groups have also organized film screenings during Pride month and at other times of the year.

This year, we are pleased to bring you Reel Desires: Chennai International Queer Film Festival 2013, a collaborative effort between Orinam and Goethe Institut/ Max Mueller Bhavan, Chennai, with the support of other local collectives.

The festival will be held on three evenings from July 11-13, 2013, and will showcase Indian and international feature films, shorts and documentaries. There will also be a panel discussion.

We invite entries of feature-length films, shorts and documentaries for screening at the event. Entries will be reviewed by a panel, and selections notified by 15 May 2013.

If you are interested in having your work considered for this festival, please email orinamwebber@gmail.com or use the form below

Reel Desires: CIQFF 2013 Call for Submissions

Visit http://chennaiintlqueerfilmfest.blogspot.in/ for updates.

* Orinam is a Chennai-based collective that has been working for the past ten years with LGBT communities through local social and support events, online and offline resources, advocacy and the arts. For more information see www.orinam.net, follow us on twitter @chennaipride, visit us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/groups/323829627740270/ or contact us at 9841557983 or using our contact form

To submit an entry for consideration, please use the form below: