03:04Times Out & Proud: Time to claim your space with pride

Despite the long awaited September 2018 Supreme Court verdict that decriminalised sex between consenting adults of the same gender, the LGBTQIA+ community continues to face stigma in society. In an effort to address this dissonance, we are launching a campaign to create a more inclusive and equal environment. Through this campaign, Times Out & Proud, the paper will offer the LGBTQIA+ community free space in its classifieds for three months.The campaign started on Friday commemorating the International Day Against Homophobia , Transphobia and Biphobia. The classifieds will provide a platform to the LGBTQIA+ community to voice their stories. The campaign takes its cue from the Section 377 judgment in which Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice A M Khanwilkar said, “We have to vanquish prejudice, embrace inclusion, and ensure equal rights.”The only woman judge on the five-judge bench, Justice Indu Malhotra went a step further to say, “History owes an apology to members of the community for the delay in ensuring their rights. Section 377 will, however, continue to govern non-consensual sexual acts, carnal intercourse with minors and acts of bestiality.”The campaign hopes to create a safe space for the members of the LGBTQIA+ community to not just look for a house, a job or a partner, but a medium through which they can share their stories publicly. The focus of the campaign is to change social mindsets and perceptions towards the LGBTQIA+ community.A supporter of the Times Out & Proud campaign is filmmaker Onir, who has publicly spoken about his sexual orientation. He says that following the 377 verdict, it is important to talk about inclusivity for the LGBTQIA+ community.The director, who is known for his films like My Brother…Nikhil and I Am, says that the biggest challenge people face in coming out is facing themselves. “When you accept yourself, accept your identity and respect your identity, it becomes easier to deal with the world. If you are proud of your identity, you have the courage to fight and stand up for it. For the longest time, Section 377 was the reason people wouldn’t dare to come out, as they would fear being discriminated against, but even then there were so many of us who were open and proud,” says Onir, who found a support system in his family when he came out.The Times Out & Proud campaign stands strong in the belief that sexual orientation and gender identities should not decide the stature of a person in society. It shuns discrimination and supports the LGBTQIA+ community’s fight for equality.The campaign will be launched through a film featuring the lives and struggles of different people from the LGBTQIA+ community. Each story will also show how they go about penning their individual classified ad and taking charge of their own narrative. Visit toi. in/outandproud to watch the film.If you are a member of the LGBTQIA+ community or want to support an LGBTQIA+ friend or relative and want to be featured in Times Out & Proud classifieds, write to us with your full name and contact number at outandproud@timesgroup.com .