Rainbow Resistance

~ Inspired by the 2020 documentary, “Welcome to Chechnya”

Bodies of three unidentified trans women were found floating in a tank in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.¹ A man threw a molotov cocktail into a boarding house room in Buenos Aires shared by four lesbian women that killed three and left one injured.² An international student stabbed and injured three people during a gender studies class at the University of Waterloo.³ A non binary high school student from Oklahoma was brutally beaten by three older students and passed away the following day.⁴

These are not random hate crimes, instead they fit into a larger pattern of discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals. In countries all around the world, people are hunted, tortured and murdered just for being who they are and loving who they want to. Many countries still enforce anti-LGBTQ+ laws to this day.

The authorities in Russia’s republic of Chechnya have been hunting people based on their sexual orientations since 2017. They routinely kidnap, torture and even murder people. In Uganda, the parliament passed a bill in May 2023 that imposed life imprisonment for same-sex relations and death penalty for some homosexual acts. Although homosexuality is technically legal in Egypt, it is considered immoral and offensive, leading to the arrest and torture of LGBTQ+ people by the police.

In an interview with HBO's "Real Sports" correspondent David Scott, Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the Chechen Republic, openly stated “We don’t have those kinds of people here. We don’t have any gays. […] They are devils. They are for sale. They are not people. God damn them for what they are accusing us of.”

Recently, Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, said “Someone’s sex at birth should define whether the law sees them as male or female,” and promised to change the law to clearly specify “the sex assigned at birth” to avoid confusion and ensure the safety of women and girls.⁵ This stance disregards and invalidates the identity of trans people and labels them as “dangerous.” These policies also fail to address the safety of transgender people. In early June this year, a trans girl was assaulted after trying to use the men’s bathroom at her school, despite technically using the “correct” bathroom.⁶

And yet, humanity with its endless compassion and desire for basic human rights, offers a glimpse of light. The Stonewall uprising of 1969 defined the start of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. Police raids were quite common on gay and lesbian bars in the sixties, but in the early hours of June 28th,1969 when the police raided the Stonewall inn, the patrons and onlookers resisted and incited a riot.⁷ Thus, to honour the history of Stonewall, June was declared Pride Month.

The Compton's Cafeteria Riot⁸ which occurred in 1966, was another response to the constant harassment of trans women and drag queens by the police. Compton's Cafeteria had a habit of regularly calling the cops on trans people. They implemented a service fee towards them and even harassed them regularly to get them to leave. On one particular August night, when the cops were called, a riot started. This movement brought attention to the struggles of trans people and activists used this momentum to establish support services for trans individuals.

The AIDS epidemic brought the LGBTQ+ community together in a fight for healthcare, recognition and dignity. AIDS activists demanded action from governments leading to a serious re-evaluation of attitudes towards LGBTQ+ people. The first AIDS walk was organized in 1987 in Los Angeles to raise a hundred thousand dollars. It passed its goal by a mile, raising over six-hundred thousand dollars and brought together over four thousand people to mourn the dead and extend support to those fighting for their lives. It is held every year to this date. The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt is a memorial project started in 1987 to celebrate the lives of those that died of AIDS. Weighing in at fifty-four tons, it grew to be the largest community art project in the world.

Allies also play a huge role in fostering an inclusive society. An ally is a cisgender and heterosexual person who supports and encourages the LGBTQ+ community despite not being a part of it. While the LGBTQ+ community has reached new heights in advocating for rights and visibility, the support of allies can be important to amplify their voices. Allies use their privilege to advocate for equal rights and call out homophobia and transphobia.

Despite the progress we’ve made over the past six decades, there’s still a long way to go. With only thirty six countries legally recognizing marriage equality and a concerning rise in casual homophobia, transphobia and racism on social media in the past couple of years, the fight for equal rights is far from over.

Over the past couple of years, society has seen a general decline in social etiquettes, with basic rules of respect and empathy slowly fading. The nature of modern life and toxic online communities that regularly spread hate added to a general decrease in patience and empathy. The guise of anonymity online allowed for internet users to perpetuate hate speech, often masked as humour. The algorithm also frequently pushes hateful content and rage bait over others. Young people with unrestricted internet access engage with this content and pick up these harmful ideologies that they spread to their peers.

Discriminating against minorities only increases the hatred between everyone. When people feel loved and accepted for who they are, they grow as a person and contribute positively to society. Being kind is not only the right thing to do but it is also the most important thing to do, to learn to be a decent person and to create a healthy environment for everyone.

The Government of Telangana launched a new scheme that offers free bus travel for women and trans individuals. It is significant because it contributes to the normalisation of trans people in society. It is one step closer towards trans individuals not being seen as “weird” or “strange” but simply as another person like you or me.

We should continue our efforts to create inclusive communities where everyone feels safe and is treated with basic respect and dignity. Each act of kindness and each effort to understand other people contributes to a kinder world. Our voices must remain loud enough to be heard in every corner of society until the walls of prejudice crumble and fall.

Sources:

Rainbow Resistance

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