Pride Month | Celina Jaitly calls for inclusive policies, roots better civil rights for queer community

As an LGBT ally, you bring a different perspective to the conversation. Your insistence on equality has a different meaning. It isn’t about you; it’s about others and about doing the right thing,” avers actor, UN Equality Champion and queer ally Celina Jaitly. She was the first Indian actor to have done a photoshoot in support of repealing section 377, thereby demanding transgender recognition. Over the past two decades, the former Miss India became a strong voice to champion the rights of the queer community. In 2021, she appeared in a short film titled Season’s Greetings which made headlines for casting a transgender actor. This Pride Month, Firstpost catches up with Jaitly who talks about inculcating values of an LGBT ally in her children, the need to bring about provisions pertaining to economic stability for the queer community, the significant shift in their representation in Indian cinema and more. Excerpts from the interview: You became a part of the LGBTQ movement in India two decades back when the awareness about the community was limited. What nudged you to become a voice for them? I don’t know why but the sad stories of many LGBTQI friends and colleagues crept into my heart and caused restlessness and unbearable pain. The last straw was when a mother figure (in Kolkata) to me (from the gay community) died in a tragic accident. That event was life-changing. His last conversation with me was just a week prior to his passing away. All his life had been spent in pursuit of happiness which he could never achieve due to the stigma associated with being gay, specifically since he grew up in the 1970s and didn’t come from an economically strong background. While all his fears went away with one tragic incident, that one incident changed something inside me forever and hence, I decided that I will do the best I can to be of use. What’s your thought on having more straight allies for the queer community? One has to be either blind or mentally incompetent not to notice the prejudice prevalent around us. The irony is that it exists in the world’s largest, secular democracy, in a country whose real cultural heritage has never shown any prejudice or intolerance against the LGBTQI given the records. It, in fact, was very rare to have a straight ally like me stand up with such a passionate stance. There has always been more of an emphasis on standalone lesbian and gay activists, individuals and groups. People don’t realise the importance of a straight ally. There are a number of places where a straight ally can express his or her support in small but incredibly meaningful ways. Your workplace, house of worship, school or civic organisations should introduce, support or vote in favour of LGBTQI inclusive policies.

Do you think the recent Hindi films have begun representing them in a more sensitive and realistic fashion? The queer projection of characters in Indian films has seen a drastic shift from Fire in 1996 to Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan in 2020 and my film Seasons Greetings - A Tribute To Rituporno Ghosh by Ramkamal Mukherjee in 2021. Our film is also the first Indian film to cast a transgender actor in a mainstream film or role. I’m glad many new filmmakers are making progressive endeavours and making mainstream LGBTQIA films and it goes to show that audiences have become more open in acknowledging the reality of the community’s sexual orientation.

Filmmakers hold supreme responsibility in being sensitive, empathetic and rational while attempting to make films on the said theme. It is important to create the right opportunities rather than have mere token representation in films.

And as complex as it may seem, the underlying principles of treating people respectfully and equally is a no-brainer and requires no special education. As a public figure, do you think it becomes a bigger responsibility to become a conduit to convey and disseminate issues that needs attention? A platform like mine is a one-in-a-billion privilege, so using it for a cause that can bring a positive change to many million lives is a choice that must be made even though not everyone may agree. At the end of the day when you look upon your life journey, it’s important to see your place on the right side of history. Are there changes that you would want to see for the empowerment of the queer community in today’s world? Despite considerable progress, LGBTQIA remains marginalised in our society. Their personal, family, and community development is hampered by social and institutional barriers to empowerment. Being able to safely affirm one’s gender identity and sexual orientation is crucial to mental and physical well-being and this is the first aspect that the entire world needs to focus on. Provisions need to be made for the economic security and financial stability of LGBTQ people by fostering inclusive labour practices and workplace policies. It’s extremely important to protect and strengthen the civil rights of LGBTQ people engaged with the criminal legal system and law enforcement. We need to also focus on and foster inclusive, safe, welcoming and affirming schools and educational environments for LGBTQ students. Greater access to safe and stable housing for LGBTQ people, as well as support services for those experiencing homelessness are important too. How would you nudge more people to become a part of pride marches and this movement, at large? What I would like to tell everyone is we need to understand that LGBTQIA rights are not an achievement, they are a responsibility. While laws and attitudes toward the LGBT community have improved over the years, discrimination and violence against the LGBTQIA is still rampant. It is important to stand up for the marginalised to lend your voice and show support. Everyone can contribute and should contribute even if it’s passive in nature. Anyone, regardless of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, can support LGBTQIA people. Deepening your understanding of LGBT-related issues, including basic terms and concepts, can help you support LGBT-identified people. You can be an ally, I tell everyone. As an ally, you can confront challenges that LGBT people experience. They can be effective and powerful voices for LGBT equality. I would also encourage people to go to our website at United Nations Free & Equal campaign to see all the work we’ve done and how they can choose to stand up for the LGBTQIA community in their own way. You’re a mum to three beautiful children. How do you make sure that they too become sensitive to the community and its allies right from their childhood? My husband Peter (Haag) and I truly believe that learning about LGBT issues from a formative age will allow non-LGBT children to become good allies to their peers as they get older. Learning about LGBT issues from a formative age will allow LGBT youth to feel less isolated. We’ve always emphasised on being good allies. Even our four-year-old understands the discrimination that a transgender person can go through. I encourage my sons to ask lots of questions. Children are very perceptive and will take their cues on how to interpret the information from you. My children have a lot of LGBTQIA god uncles and we’ve brought the boys up with open and inclusive views towards different types of families and relationships. Starting conversations with our children regarding current LGBTQ+ issues early on fosters a mindset of tolerance and inclusiveness throughout their development. Titas Chowdhury is a journalist based in Mumbai with a keen interest in films and beaches. Read all the  Latest News _,_  Trending News _,_  Cricket News _,_  Bollywood News _,_  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook _,_  Twitter  and  Instagram _._