Discrimination is a terrifying word. Women have to face it everyday in a commonly perceived ‘man’s world’, and men have to face it from other men for failing to keep up with societal expectations.
No one can escape from discrimination it seems. And sometimes, the discrimination comes from the discriminated as well.
Speaking to The Quint, Sakshi Juneja, founder of Gaysi, an online Queer blog with a special focus on the Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (LBT) community, says that women identifying with these three groups, have to face a ‘double discrimination’.
In India, we face a kind of double discrimination. You’re discriminated for being a woman, or not conforming to gender norms, and then you’re discriminated for being queer.Sakshi Juneja, founder of Gaysi
Even within the LGBTQ community, there is a natural discrimination against the LBT part of the group that exists, she says.
Even in terms of awareness drives and empowerment programmes, they are centred more towards gay or bisexual men than lesbians, bisexual women or transgender people.
There’s a reason you have an app like Grindr for men to hook up with someone, but you still don’t have any such apps for queer women.Sakshi Juneja
She adds that despite the existence of organisations focusing on the empowerment of the entire LGBTQ community, queer men can boast of being privy to several social meeting-spots, apps and awareness drives, whereas queer women have to wait around till one of the organisations plan events specifically carried for them.
However, she said that the creation of safe spaces for both members of the LBT and LGBTQ community in the digital space can help reduce the discrimination between these groups.
A digital space, which is striving to empower all members of the community, making them aware of the nascent divide between the same and looking at ways to share solutions in dissolving them, is imperative in this country and at this time.
Due to the creation of safe spaces in the digital world, she is now optimistic about the future of the LBT community within the larger LGBTQ community. To her, it will make a difference.
Editor: Veeru Mohan
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