PRIDE AND PROUD

LOVE SEE NO GENDER 

From childhood, we have been told that a boy and a girl are the perfect definition of an ideal relationship. But we have never been told: What is love? We live in a society where we think an ideal relationship involves a boy and a girl in love. Why can’t a boy fall in love with a boy, and why can't a girl fall in love with a girl? Who said that love is defined by gender or roles?

We don’t know much about LGBTQIA because maybe this is a topic that is quite different and we are not aware of the kind of struggle, insecurities, comments, and a lot of bad examples they have to face. And you don’t know what’s going on in others lives but your own. We weren’t there if it was happening.

So I researched a lot about it, and I came across a very strange thing: before Article 377, people wouldn’t consider it a good thing because they weren’t aware of it. I saw people in love, and when they are in love, it is unconditional and selfless. And there is no gender discrimination. The kind of love that sees no caste, no age bars, no boundaries, just one thing, and that's love.

On August 24, 2017, the Supreme Court upheld the right to privacy as a fundamental right under the Constitution. The Court also called for equality and condemned discrimination, stated that the protection of sexual orientation lies at the core of fundamental rights, and stated that the rights of the LGBTQIA population are real and founded on constitutional doctrine. This judgement was believed to imply the unconstitutionality of Section 377.

I do believe in love, fairy tales, and movies. Yes, people like me exist. Because you know what made my world colourful? It made me feel that no matter what, there is always one thing we all have in common: love, humanity, and kindness. So, today we are talking about LGBTQ. Seems interesting, right? Because it is; before 2017, it was crime, but now it's not.

This is how unity, kindness, and humanity showed.

Earlier, we were taught that this is the ideal relationship and how it works. But no one told us the fundamentals or the life lessons they took with them. We have never been taught that it is not necessary for individuals to fall in love with people of opposite genders. Because everyone is afraid of the society we live in. Most people don’t fear their reality; they fear society and the people who put forth their unsolicited opinions of life.

Family is the biggest support we have considered in our lives so far, but what if your family doesn’t support you in your decisions? So, further, I watched a lot of interviews, and I stopped at one girl who is gay, and when she came in front of her parents, she asked them if they would be there at her wedding. And the day she asked her parents, they were silent, which means everyone knows what it means. They were so embarrassed to say, "No, we are not coming to your wedding." So, I believe we can read disappointment on a human face very clearly, and their faces were saying, "Sorry, you are not good enough that we support and stand beside your big day." And another story goes like this: "A mother took her daughter to a psychiatrist when she told her "She is gay".

Every child in this world first comes to their parents to tell them what their decisions are and who their life partner is, but when you don’t get the support from your own home, it breaks a person's heart completely. Parents can be toxic too if they are not listening and just replying to your decisions and conversations. So, I think parents should understand what their child needs and what makes them happy, unless and until it harms their child. 

You know, it’s easy to say that I will be there for you, and we will be there for you no matter what, whether it is your parents or friends. But actually being there and standing there makes a big difference.

Acceptance is the biggest decision in our lives so far. We can accept a person, but it took a long time to accept them as individuals, and that’s okay. The human body accepts facts other than their lives and the truths at the end, which are mostly lies. It’s not easy for a person to accept that they are different and that their feelings are different.

It’s not about masculine and feminine. It’s about the energy one carries with them. Some have more masculine energy as compared to femininity, and some have more feminine energy as compared to their masculinity. Which is quite beautiful. Everyone knows about vibes and energy. But the more disappointing thing we face in our society is that the words gay, bisexual, transgender, and "lesbian are used as abuse to one another, which is, in my opinion, quite disrespectful. We are all humans, and we don’t discriminate on the basis of who is who. Your looks and your gender don’t define the quality of thought you have." It's not a disease to be cured but a concept that one should understand."

I have been to a Pride parade in 2019. Yes, I have been to the Pride Parade. And one of my friends is in journalism, so they are covering it, and they told me to come there and see. I've never seen so much positivity and happiness. I mean, we can really learn so much, and I really felt how much we are busy making our lives and relationships perfect and missing out on so many things. That day I really learned one thing: "You have your identity; no one else’s opinion defines who you are but yourself."

I believe in so many things in my life. Sometimes we believe in weird things like numbers and stars, which we all do, but at last that one star gives us hope, support, and the wish to make tomorrow better. So, respect is eternal, and we can do it with no boundaries, no caste, no age bars, and no sexuality. Because love sees no gender. They don’t need any validation or certification from society, but respect, and as a human, one can do that. You don’t need eyes to see a human; everyone has eyes, but some have their own vision.

Life is too short to waste it on hatred. Sometimes, you can show some love to strangers. Because that's the way of spreading love and humankind. What a beautiful world it would be! Give the love and respect you receive as a gift to others. So I just wanted to say:

"Never be the prisoner of your thoughts; never be the prisoner of someone’s opinions; no one defines no one; everyone came individually and will be gone as an individual; define yourself and make happiness and freedom the keys of your life."MANSI CHAMOLI

 

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