Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu has a support group for gay and effeminate, men called Lotus. To date they have performed street plays in over 75 panchayats sensitizing people to effeminacy in men. I chanced to view their performance in ‘Nirangal’ an LGBT cultural festival in Chennai last Sunday. And in one word, the show was Powerful!
One of their actors said their plays lack discussions on sex, sexuality or gender identity in order to make them palatable to a conservative audience and prevent the public from unnecessary queasiness. It showed an effeminate guy being harassed at home and outside, lacking any friends and being almost forced into a marriage with a girl in spite of his displeasure. The girl realizes his discomfiture and suggests the family visit and obtain counseling from Lotus, a support organization in Kumbakonam.
With abundant humour and a portrayal of daily life, the play was very enjoyable and targeted towards a simple, but homophobic, audience. The message being, according to the President of Lotus, Muthukumar, that a certain class of men are effeminate and should be accepted in society as they are.
The play had a disturbing scene where the effeminate guy is bashed by his homophobic ‘friends’ who refuse to interact with him for fear of social animosity. Upon speaking to members of Lotus, I learned that effeminate/gay men do get bashed up in and around Kumbakonam at public places such as bus stands or riverbanks. Hence, this message is very pertinent.
Muthukumar’s statement on Lotus:
Lotus Integrated AIDS Awareness Sangam (Reg. No. 25/2000 – well known as Lotus, was formed in 2000 by a group of self-identified Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) to support the needs of MSM in Kumbakonam and its surrounding villages…Our work has focused on reducing MSM-related stigma and discrimination, and has gained national and international recognition for addressing such effects of the stigma as self-discrimination, runaways, and HIV risk.
Most recently, Lotus completed an 18-month panchayat advocacy project funded through a World Bank South Asia Regional Development Marketplace (SARDM) award grant that was selected as a best practice model called the ACT (Advocacy by Cultural Team) Project. Key ACT Project results:
-Stigma reduction messages delivered in 75 villages in and around Thanjavur district for 270 panchayat leaders and 11,250 audience members.
-147 ‘hidden’ MSM identify themselves to Lotus post-performance.
-Change in panchayat leader attitudes and behavior – increased willingness to help MSM.
-Change in MSM lives – noted drop in discrimination and harassment.
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