ACCEPTANCE IS THE KEY

The LGBTQIA+ community has discovered their identities; now it is time for family members to embrace them for who they are

- PURNIMA SHARMA

Acceptance, not just to one’s own self but also by parents, friends, and family is the key for everyone belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community,” says Sharif Rangnekar, journalist and author of the book Queersapien that offers a queer eye on society.

It was way back in 1999, when talk on sex was still taboo that Sharif discovered his identity as a gay man. “This was a time when there were no reference points and information available on homosexuality was limited and often hateful,” he recalls. But he took the plunge – and came out first to his own self and then to two journalist friends, followed by his mother. “After this, I did have it easy as I was accepted by all of them.”

But not everyone is that fortunate. Ankita Sharma, a 30-year-old data analyst, often lies awake till late wondering how long she will have to ‘stay in the closet’. “Girls have it tougher,” she feels, thinking of her conservative Dehradun-based parents who will not accept the fact that their daughter is lesbian. “They come from a world inhabited by ‘straights’. People with different sexual orientations do not find a place there,” adds Ankita.

Although she once even took her partner Thanvi home to meet them, her parents “refused to take the hint — and took her to be a close girlfriend. My mother even asked Thanvi to convince me to get married soon,” smiles Ankita wryly.

Despite growing awareness about the LGBTQIA+ community that goes on an upswing, particularly in June (also referred to as ‘Pride Month’), “It’s still an uphill task for girls like me”, adds Ankita.