Seldom do we see crowds roused to a fever pitch by a Supreme court judgement, such as the stir at the ruling on Section 377, in 2013. In India, homosexuality has had a long standing unresolved legal and social status. The usual words we’ve become immune to hearing, thrown around in the realm of the homophobes include unnatural, disgusting, weird, against ‘Indian culture’ and religions, among others on a long list. Hence, to sum it up simply, yes. We do live in a society which seems to be built on the notion that anything ‘deviant’ is blasphemous, warranting discrimination and denunciation. But there are those in our society who seem to be torn between the social and religious norms on one hand, and their own conscience on the other. These pushes and pulls; religious, social and legal, have a very real impact psychologically on the members of the LGBTQI community, who are at the end of the day, the ones who suffer the most.
Even more unfortunately to note is the fact that we are not alone. This harsh treatment meted out to the community is the reality of our neighbour Bangladesh as well; where homosexuality is criminalized as well. In fact, the very same section 377 is implemented in Bangladesh’s penal code too. Still, much like all the rays of hope who have popped up on home turf, Bangladesh has the Boys of Bangladesh. These young men are on a mission to actively build a strong gay community, as well as to promote, protect and address the basic human rights of its members.
Boys of Bangladesh, popularly called BoB, is the oldest and largest platform created in Bangladesh of self-identified gay men. BoB’s aim is to create a safe space for sexual and gender minorities in the country, where they can explore and express themselves freely and without fear or prejudices. In 2014, Bangladesh’s first LGBTQI magazine ‘Roopbaan’ was published, and following suit BoB launched ‘Dhee,’ the first lesbian comic character, an advocate for the LGBTQI community, at an event held at the British council in September.
The comic is a part of ‘Project Dhee,’ a 14-month project endeavouring to advance the movement for the rights of LGBTQI people, which is at its beginning stages. Fashioned as 10 flashcards to be distributed at LGBTQI seminars, workshops and conferences, it’s the first of its kind, portraying the life of a ‘regular’ middle class girl in her youth that is exploring her sexuality. The titular character is a spectacled and curly-haired lesbian in her early 20s, exploring her sexuality and learning more about herself in the process. A fan of Kazi Nuzral’s poetry; Dhee loves rainy days, cycling and cooking for her loved ones. She isn’t rebellious in a pronounced manner; it’s in the subtleties, for example, her dressing in salwar kameez or saris, not western-wear, but refusing to wear a dupatta. Her lifestyle is traditional; a muslim girl from an archetypal middle-class Bangladeshi suburban family. At the same time, what separates her from the flock is her extraordinary mind, wisdom and inner beauty.
Most importantly, Dhee breaks stereotypes. The narrative is simple and relatable, but also very relevant to the current climate of the country. It’s an introspective tale about a young girl who falls in love ‘unnaturally’ with another girl. Like a lot of other homosexuals, Dhee is faced with the conundrum of conforming to societal rules and marrying a man to appease her family; to flee the country, commit suicide, or stay and follow her heat. The message is conveyed in the form of a comic, which isn’t considered a very serious medium by majority of society, but it’s message is very real. Her struggles are a glimpse of the grave reality of homosexuals, not only in Bangladesh but everywhere, living in fear and shame because of their sexuality, struggling with the pressures of traditional customs and some even being driven to suicide.
The stories of Dhee will be used to conduct 15 country-wide campaigns to impart knowledge and information about gender and sexuality. The Bangla word ‘Dhee’ means intellect, knowledge, wisdom, which is a concise explanation of BoB’s aim. Fear of social rejection and persecution force the majority of the LGBTQI community to conceal their sexual orientation. Dhee has been published at a very tense time, when concerns grow about the growing radicalization among fundamentalist Muslim groups in Bangladesh, most recently highlighted by a series of recent fatal attacks on secularist and atheist bloggers.
Even before Dhee, BoB has posted several comic strips on their Facebook page to create awareness about homosexuality and the common stereotypes. Our favourite is the strip posted below showing a woman asking for sick leave from work, feeling slightly ‘homosexual.’ It critically, and cleverly, comments on the prevailing idea of homosexuality being a ‘sickness’ afflicting those few ‘lost souls.’ Written in Bangla, the post reads, “Sir, I have been feeling very homosexual since last night, please give me leave for two days.”
“The LGBT movement in Bangladesh so far has been dominated by gay men given the patriarchal society. Lesbians are doubly marginalized here. So it was important that the lesbian community is acknowledged. Moreover, female sexuality in our society is more stigmatized and a bigger taboo. Dhee does not talk only about sexual orientation but also about gender discrimination, menstruation, female masturbation, love, sex, relationship and whole plethora of other social issues that are not usually talked about. We really wanted to convey the message of intersectionality of all these issues,” reads a post on the Project Dhee Facebook page.
Written by Sara Hussain