Pride and Prejudice

In this episode of Pride & Prejudice, host Suryatapa Mukherjee spoke to Patruni Chidananda Sastry about bisexuality. Patruni is a bisexual, trans non-binary drag artist based in Hyderabad. A 2019 study published in the Australian Journal of General Practice found that 77.6 percent of bisexuals had contemplated suicide as compared to 11.7 percent of the general population. According to Pew Research Center, 19% of bisexuals are out compared to 75% of gays and lesbians. We explore the factors both within and outside the queer community that lead to poor mental and physical health of bisexual people. Here, we are using bisexuality as an umbrella term for all sexualities that involve being attracted to more than one gender. Biphobia is Killing Bisexual People. Literally.Bisexual people react to misconceptions about Bisexuality Rangula Rattnam | Queer Telugu TalksBisexual adults are far less likely than gay men and lesbians to be 'out' to the people in their livesPhysical Health Disparities Across Dimensions of Sexual Orientation, Race/Ethnicity, and Sex: Evidence for Increased Risk Among Bisexual Adults | SpringerLinkStudy: Bisexual men 'most at risk' from sexually transmitted infections | PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news(PDF) Why Us? Toward an Understanding of Bisexual Women's Vulnerability for and Negative Consequences of Sexual ViolenceBisexuality and health: The cost of invisibilityBisexual-Specific Minority Stressors, Psychological Distress, and Suicidality in Bisexual Individuals: the Mediating Role of Loneliness | SpringerLink Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Among Lesbian, Bisexual, and Heterosexual Women: Findings From the Nurses’ Health Study IIPrejudice, Social Stress, and Mental Health in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Populations: Conceptual Issues and Research Evidence - PMCThe National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2010 Findings on Victimization by Sexual Orientation See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

In the Union Budget 2023, 6 crore rupees were allocated to the SMILE program of the Ministry of Social Justice and Equality. Under this program, the government works for the transgender community in our country. The most well-known initiative under the SMILE program is perhaps Garima Greh, with 12 shelter homes in 9 states. However, two of the Garima Grehas in Kolkata and Delhi that we spoke to say they haven’t had funding for a year and are struggling to survive. In this episode of Pride and Prejudice, reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Avinaba, a public policy researcher, about the hits and misses of the Union Budget 2023. STATEMENT 13 GENDER BUDGET MINISTRY/DEPARTMENT 2022-2023 BudgetSupport for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise (SMILE) GUIDELINESNational Portal For Transgender Persons Union Budget 2023: Transgender persons remain an afterthought in India – The Leaflet PM Daksh | NBCFDC No proposal to bring quota for transgender persons: Government in LS - The Hindu. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

This is part three of our miniseries, Queering Language, where we are looking at the relationship between queerness and language. In this episode of Pride and Prejudice, host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Nuzhat and Prakash who are co-founders of Xomonnoy, an LGBTQ+ organisation based in Guwahati, Assam. They have recently released a queer short story collection in Assamese and a glossary of LGBTQ+ terms in Assamese. We explore the history of queerness in Assamese literature, the nuances of finding Assamese words for queer experiences, and why it is important to find queerness in our mother tongue. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

This is part one of a miniseries Queering Language in Pride and Prejudice, where we explore the relationship between queerness and language. For this episode, host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Raina, a trans activist in Kolkata, about Ulti, a secret language of trans communities originating in hijra culture. Raina is the founder of Samabhabana, an NGO for trans people and Amra Odbhut, a queer cafe in Kolkata. The secret language of South Asia’s transgender community The Secret Language of the Hijras https://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/queer-language/article5407840.ece See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

In recent years, with increasing queer acceptance, we have seen more sensitive portrayals of transgender people in films and TV shows. But in Sacred Games, Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, Gangubai Kathiawadi and the upcoming web series Taali, it is cis people playing these trans roles. In this episode of Pride and Prejudice, reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to actors Nandini Sabban and Rudrani Chhetri. Nandini plays one of the characters on Taali where Sushmita Sen stars as Gauri Sawant. Rudrani Chhetri played a trans character in Vikas Khanna’s film The Last Colour. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

It has been 3 years since the Supreme Court read down section 377 and 75 years since Indian independence. So, let’s see how free queer people are when it comes to finding a home. In this episode of Pride and Prejudice, our reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee spoke to Raju Behara, Ritushree Panigrahi and Kushal Roy. They speak about their struggles with finding a safe accommodation where they can truly be themselves, and also the transformational joy that finding a home can bring. Raju is a non-binary person and they write for a Pharma company. They also work as a peer support provider with Safe Access and as an independent researcher with the Queer Judgements Project. Ritushree is a trans woman who co-founded the Outcast Collective, a Diversity and Inclusion consulting firm, and she is also a stand-up comedian. Kushal, a cis gay man, is an award-winning mental health advocate, an LGBTQ+ activist and he works a corporate day job. Kochi Metro's sad track record of keeping promise of dignity to transpersons Living with Dignity: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity-Based Human Rights Violations in Housing, Work, and Public Spaces in India Is ‘unity in diversity’ a farce when it comes to housing in India? – The LeafletKushal’s tweets See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

The World Health Organisation defines gender incongruence as a marked and persistent inconguence between an individual’s experienced gender and the assigned sex. One of the ways to alleviate gender incongruence is through gender affirmative care. It can include a single or a combination of social, psychological or medical interventions. The medical interventions could include hormone replacement therapy, or surgeries. These medical interventions are very expensive, and often out of reach for transgender persons. This May, the Maharashtra government announced that gender affirmative surgeries for transgender persons will be provided free of cost in government faciltiies. Maharashtra is one of the many states including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Rajasthan among others to announce schemes for medical facilities of transgender persons. In this episode, Cherish Mundhra spoke to Maya Awasthi, and her colleague Sara Ranthambe to understand the various barriers faced by the community in accessing these medical interventions. Both are from Tweet foundation that works with transgender persons. References Transgender Indians Continue To Face Multiple Barriers To Gender Affirmation SurgeryGender incongruence and transgender health in the ICDStandards of CareNational Legal Ser.Auth vs Union Of India & Ors on 15 April, 2014THE TRANSGENDER people (PROTECTION OF RIGHTS) ACT, 2019 ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONSShould Gender Reassignment Surgery be Publicly Funded? - PMCDRAFT ODISHA STATE TRANSGENDER people POLICY 2021National Portal For Transgender peopleHow Kerala is A Long Way Off In Gender Affirmative Healthcare For Trans people - BehanBoxAnother transgender person dies by suicide in Kochi, fourth such case this yearSuicide and Suicidal Behaviour among Transgender people - PMCSee sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

In this episode of Pride and Prejudice, hosts Menaka Rao and Suryatapa Mukherjee discuss how the certainty of male-female binary affects the way science is done, with Sayantan Datta. Sayantan is a queer-trans science journalist and communicator who writes for a feminist multimedia science collective, Life of Science. They also teach writing and communication at Krea University, in Andhra Pradesh.This episode was originally published on another Suno India show, Science & Us, as one of a two-part series on how gendered understanding of science affects the way research is conducted. This episode is being republished for Pride and Prejudice. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

Join us in this episode of Pride and Prejudice, as host Suryatapa Mukherjee watches Badhaai Do with Nikhil. Nikhil is doing their PhD in German Cinema at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi.  Since reading down of IPC Sec 377 in 2018, there has been at least one big-budget LGBTQ+ Bollywood film released each year. But do these films actually represent us? Let’s find out how the latest, Badhaai Do fares. This episode has spoilers so we would recommend watching the film first. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

For this month of love, we are bringing you a two-part Valentine’s Special miniseries where host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to queer couples about their journey. In this episode of Pride and Prejudice, we hear from Diya and Diban Mondol who grew up in the same Kolkata neighbourhood and ran away together after falling in love. Diban is a trans man and Diya is a cis woman. They talk about crashing with trans people they never met before, finding queer community in Jadavpur, and building a home in the city with no family support. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

Garima Greh is the Central government’s pilot program for trans people. In collaboration with Community Based Organisations (CBOs), the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has opened thirteen Garima Greh shelters across the country. Trans people can stay at a Garima Greh shelter for up to a year, during which they undergo studies and training so they can get a work placement at the end of their stay.  In this episode of Pride & Prejudice, reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee and contributing editor Menaka Rao visit Kolkata’s Gokhale Road Bandhan and Delhi’s Mitr Trust, to find out how the Garima Greh scheme is run and how its policies affect residents. This is part of a two-part series on Garima Greh. In our previous episode, you can find out how this new scheme has given some trans people a second chance at life.  Show notes: Extend Garima Greh scheme to entire LGBTQIA+ community: HC - The Hindu Many refusals later, finally a safe home for trans people | Kolkata News - Times of India GUIDELINES FOR GARIMA GREH See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

On this musical episode of Pride and Prejudice, reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to musician Ruhan Ali. Despite their popularity online, Ruhan says they are shunned from Qawwali spaces for being queer.  Qawwali is Sufi Islamic devotional music. As we discuss the discrimination in such spaces right now, we also go back in time to trace the queer roots of Qawwali and Sufi culture in India with the book 'Same-Sex Love In India: Readings from Literature and History.'  You will hear several of Ruhaan’s songs, Qawwali and others, on this episode. Tune in!  Show notes Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Main To Piya Se Naina | Kalam Hazrat Ameer KhusroShree Dheeraj Bawra - Main To Piya Se Naina Laga Aayi ReSee sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

The Centre has moved a Cabinet note to include transgender persons in the central list of Other Backward Classes or OBCs. This is so that trans people can access the 27% reservation for OBCs in educational institutions and government jobs.  But trans people have been protesting this move and demanding horizontal reservation, across different caste categories. On this episode of Pride and Prejudice, host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks with Dalit transgender activist Grace Banu to understand what horizontal reservation is and how it would benefit transgender people. Grace Banu is the founder of Trans Rights Now Collective and India’s first openly transgender engineer.  For the full picture of our reservation policy, please listen to The Suno India Show episodes, OBC Bill: A history of reservation and how we got here and Caste Census: Why it stopped and why it must start again. Additional reading: Grace Banu Ganesan v. State of Tamil Nadu Global Freedom of Expression | NALSA Judgment: Critique of the Indian Perspective Beyond the Adams-And-Eves WorldviewGrace Banu on Discrimination in Workplaces & Universities | India Culture Lab Transgender population 2011 censusTHE TRANSGENDER PERSONS (PROTECTION OF RIGHTS) ACT, 2019 See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.