Glitter, Rainbows and more!

Every Month is Pride Month!

Morning assemblies. Standing class-wise, singing the school song, listening to a topic being presented by a section, singing the National Anthem and then dispersing into our normal classes. We are all familiar with this. My school wanting to keep this tradition alive even during online classes, gave us the task of making a few assembly videos which would be presented in the first period.

After the first meeting, we had a few ideas on what we could do and I was trying to brainstorm on what we could do when I received a phone call from Aditi ( she is a fellow blog writer too, do check out her blog ). I thought it would be to discuss further on what our next steps would be. However ,She told me that she had a great idea and wanted my opinion on it. She sounded both excited and nervous talking to me and I was very curious what it could be. She asked me if we could do a assembly on the Pride Month since it was the month of June.

At first it took me by surprise. I loved the idea however I was unsure how the school would feel about it. Nothing like this had never been done. I didn’t want to give up without giving it a try so asked her to ask the teacher. As she cut the call , I tried of what could the answer be. I thought it would be a no because it was a sensitive subject for students to work on. On the other hand , it was important to sensitize the students on this topic due to the lack of awareness on it. It felt like forever as I waited for her to text me. Soon I received the message that the teacher had said YES and asked us to go ahead with it. With these words, we were now given the chance to make a 10 minute assembly on the Pride Month. I couldn’t believe it at first and was overjoyed. Soon, I came to a realization, that we need to work hard on making this perfect. Firstly because it was a very sensitive topic and we needed to know and understand what we were putting out to the other students. Secondly, this was the first assembly relating to Pride in our school. It was a big deal.

We got to work on this immediately. Our first step was to discuss among ourselves, what we want that video to contain in terms of content and message. There was not just one discussion, we had conversations all through the making of this video. These conversations were some of the most insightful and beautiful things I have been a part of. These were full of a willingness to show support for the LGBTQ+ community and wanting to show how they were like us. Everyone was extremely thoughtful and introspective . I believe it was these open dialogues we had with each other that helped this be a success.

We had so many things we wanted to include but in the end we could only make a 10 minute video. We started with an introduction to Pride Month and the LGBTQ+ communities. LGBTQ+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning and the 'plus' is used to signify all of the gender identities that are not specifically covered by the other five initials. June is celebrated as the Pride Month where people from the LGBTQ+ communities celebrate love with rainbow flags, colour and sparkles. Unfortunately, on the flip side to this month is a very sad and harsh truth. It is not all rainbows and sparkles for this community. They are constantly discriminated against. Under section 377 ,this community were considered unconstitutional in India until 2 years ago. On 6th September 2018 ,Section 377 was declared unconstitutional. It was a great moment and very appreciated. However it took us 157 years since the introduction of that law to decriminalize it. Even after that, homosexuality is taken as a disease by many doctors and they are still treated as outcasts. Now that is on paper, Governments should make sure everyone is treated with respect and given the freedom to love. It was great to see the suggestions Madras High Court has given to schools on sensitising schools and colleges regarding the LGBTQ+ communities. I believe this is a great step towards spreading awareness and securing a better future for this community.

Our next focus was on addressing the problem of gender norms. Gender norms are social principles that govern the behavior of humans in society and restrict their gender identity into what is considered to be appropriate. Gender roles are how we’re expected to act, speak, dress, groom, and conduct ourselves based upon our assigned genders.

For example, girls and women are generally expected to dress in typically feminine ways and be polite, accommodating, and nurturing, while Men are generally expected to be strong, aggressive, and bold.

Gender is a social construct created by society. Gender norms change from generation to generation and trying to fit into them can be very restricting. I strongly believe gender norms should never define us. There is nothing you should do or cannot do just because of your gender. You should do what you want to.

We took a lot of inspiration from Eugene Lee Yang’s flawless Coming out video.

Eugene Lee Yang is a Youtuber and a part of the Try Guys. His coming out video is one of the most beautiful videos on the internet. He talks about gender norms and how by trying to conform to them, he felt bound.

We mentioned other influencers and celebrities who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community and also those vocalize their support and fight for the rights of this community. We gave special mention to Harry Styles who broke the internet by breaking gender norms in the Vogue Cover shoot where he was seen wearing a frocks and skirts. Not to mention, He looked absolutely stunning !

However, our main focus was on talking about why it was so wrong to hate someone on the basis of who they love. It is and should be completely normal to have a choice on who you love. Yes, it is difficult to do things you love when the odds are stacked against you and when so many people are constantly telling you that you are wrong. However, we want to tell you , it is not wrong ! Love is what keeps this world alive and to put a limit on love is absolutely bogus! We wanted to show support to the students from the LGBTQ+ community. Our ending message for all was LOVE IS LOVE!

As we finished this video, we were all very nervous as to how it could be received. We were given full creative control and not even once had a teacher interfere in what we were doing. This made us be more sensitive to the topic and cautious too. However there were still question marks on how others would feel about it.

Fortunately for us, we had nothing to worry about as the video was received with the utmost joy , cheer and enthusiasm by students and teachers alike. It was shared on the official school social media handle and received so much love there too. I got so many messages from students and alumni congratulating us on the video and thanking us for doing it. We all were so overwhelmed with praise and also by the wholesome comments. We were extremely proud of it and were so glad that everyone appreciated it too.

It takes just a small step in the right direction to begin on the path of change. This video has no where solved the problems they face. This was a very small step in a long journey we need to take. We need to make sure we never tolerate or give any hate on the basis of gender. We should fight for this cause till everyone has the freedom to love and be loved!

This was an experience which I am taking away a lot from. I was so fortunate to be a part of it. Other than the learning, I made so many memories during this time with the students I worked with. Too everyone involved in this video, thank you ! I am so grateful I got to do this with a great group of teenagers who put so much effort in this. Everyone understood what they had signed up for and came through.

Click on the picture below to watch the video and share with others too!

Always remember,

You are Limitless! You are Boundless!

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