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June – Pride Month Happiness comes in many colours, Embrace & Celebrate them All

June – Pride Month
Happiness comes in many colours, Embrace & Celebrate them All
There comes a time in our lives when we feel alone and left out, but soon, a friend experiencing the same pops in and changes everything for better. However, imagine never being able to relate to people... feeling left-out in our own family.
Sadly, this does happen and it happens mostly to people who are a little different. Most people who come under LGBTQ community, i.e. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer face this as life-long challenge.
Coming out is a challenge, but once they decide to lead and inspire, they make their mark. In Indore, a group of individuals who have not only accepted themselves but embraced their identities run a campaign ‘Badlav’.
Though they were abandoned, beaten and hurt, they have taken charge to bring about a revolution. They are unlike others, who pretend to be the so-called ‘normal’ or play the assigned role limiting themselves to their secluded community.
These are change makers, who want to do normal jobs and live among people spreading happiness. One such inspirational figure is Sandhiya Ghavri. She battled the norms and now is a transgender model.
The first transgender couple of the country also tied their knot in Indore in 2019: Jaya Parmar and Juinad Khan.
Speaking to kids and experts, we unravel various colours of the community and support the Pride Month.
 
Don’t let others dictate your gender or sexuality because YOU ARE VALID!
The toxic culture of harassment and bullying still thrives in many schools and institutions which are easily targeted towards the queer. Despite living in the 21st century, many schools still turn a blind eye to their queer student body which leads to them facing homophobia on a daily basis. As a closeted teen myself, I am sick and tired of hearing other kids in my grade still being so narrow minded and using “gay” or “homosexual” as an insult.
It is hard not being able to speak up to them without the fear of getting bullied for something so trivial. This not only shows the lack of education on this matter but also how our society views the LGBTQ+ community.
Even after IPC section 377 being revoked, it is still considered taboo enough that even the schools don’t teach you about different sexual orientations and gender identities. Countless young lives are forced to end it all because of the things they have to deal with regularly. Conversion therapies, public shaming, harassment, are just some of those.
If any of my queer friends find themselves reading this, I want you to know that you are not alone. You are loved no matter what. Don’t let others dictate your gender or sexuality because YOU ARE VALID!
Devyanshi Bahety
Class 10
Choithram School, Indore

Equity leads to Gender Equality
When people of all genders have equal rights, opportunities and responsibilities, then it is termed as gender equality. It implies that the interests, needs and priorities of all genders are taken into consideration thereby creating a society full of happiness. As we know, India is a land of unity in diversity. So, in order to maintain unity it is our utmost responsibility to promote gender equality. We should treat all genders as equal and should respect all regardless of caste, race, religion or gender.
Remember the term -"Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam", which means the World is a Family. Gender Equality is the goal that will help abolish poverty that will create more equal economies, happier people and fairer societies.
A woman is a human. She is not better, intelligent, wiser, stronger, creative or more responsible than a man. Likewise, she is no less than a man also.cIt has been rightly said that-"It's a man's job to respect woman but it’s a woman's job to give him something to respect." A real man chooses to honour, love, respect and be faithful to one woman.
LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer) Month occurs in the United States to Commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred at the end of June, 1969.
We should develop a feeling of respect in our heart for the LGBTQ+ Community and should always remember that they are never less than we are. They too are stronger, Intelligent and wiser as we all are. In this Pride Month let's take a pledge to treat all gender as equal and believe that everyone is born free and equal. We should always take action against gender bias, discrimination and violence to bring up a society full of happiness.
Kaushik Kumar Hota
Class 12
Kendriya Vidyalaya, Mahuldiha, Rairangpur, Mayurbhanj, Odisha.

What’s in a name! Experience brings Understanding @USA
Do you ever wish you were the opposite gender of yourself? Why? Hello, my name is Kanak Patel and today, I am here to talk to you about my experience with some people in my school who are transgender as it is pride month. If you don’t know what pride month is then it is the month where we get to celebrate LGBTQ+ individuals.
One transgender at my school is my friend, Neo. Neo prefers to go by a boy. When I met Neo at school, I would hear Neo’s name being said as Sedona because I had every class with him. As we got to know each other more, I figured out that I heard that because he was transgender so that was his dead name because he had changed his name.
When I saw him for the first time, he was wearing a black hat, black gloves, baggy pants, a gray coat, and a mask. The students in my school didn’t really care he was transgender. In fact they accepted him and every other transgender at my school; he had lots of friends and was loved at my school. This was actually the first transgender person that I had seen in my life. Neo loves sketching, thinking of new ideas, and softball.
Another transgender at my school who is also my friend is Ren. Ren goes by a boy and also has a name change. I found out Ren’s name was Alexis but then he changed it to Ren because I had lots of classes with him.
It wasn’t hard for me to remember to say he to Neo but it was hard for me to remember to say he to Ren for some reason. When I met Ren for the first time, he was wearing short pants, a long sweater, glasses, and white shoes with flowers on them. The students in my school didn’t care about Ren being transgender in fact he has a group of friends and is loving it at my school. Ren loves anime, sketching, and games.
There are more transgender persons at my school but I don’t know much about them so we can stop here. Neo and Ren are transgender persons but at my school they get the same respect and freedom as everybody else.
I don’t know why they changed their names but I think it is probably because they wanted a more “boyish” name. I shared my experience and want to say that you shouldn’t treat the transgender community differently because they didn’t choose to be transgender. Thank you and I hope you take June, Pride month as an opportunity to celebrate transgenders and LGBTQ+ people and wish the best for all of you.
Kanak Patel
Class 6
Happy Valley Middle School, Happy Valley, Oregon, USA

Increasing no. of people seek help Gender Dysphoria
Gender identity is personal sense of one‘s own identity. It’s about how you perceive your own gender, how you show this to others & how you want others to treat you.
Sometime you identify with your assigned biological sex n sometimes you don’t.
Gender identity is typically developed at a very early stage of life.
Young people who are gender diverse or don’t identify with the gender they were born with experience wide range of emotions and have varied stressful experiences in life overall leading to high risk of anxiety, depression, self harm and suicide.
With increasing awareness through social media and internet many are getting aware about their Gender Dysphoria and coming for help now days in Madhya Pradesh.
Every month I am seeing near about 4-6 clients
Treatment line includes
-Psycho-educating them and family
-Making parents understand the problem the client is going through.
-Re-assurance and supportive psychotherapy
-Treating co-morbid psychological issues like depression and anxiety if any.
-Hormonal therapy after certification
-Sex Reassignment surgery after all formalities
Dr Pawan Rathi
Consultant Psychiatrist

Most forced to marry, Parents’ Counselling is MUST
In my experience, I often come across people who are struggling with their sexuality and sexual identification. However, considering their struggle, it’s more required to deal with their families.
More than 52 the per cent of LGBTQ people have experienced depression recently, as even cited in a survey. Now, though it seems normal for more and more people to suffer from depression with isolated lifestyle, it isn’t good and normal, indeed.
Most people who sought help from me shared their issues and were open. However, the biggest problem faced by them was due to parental pressure.
They have enough struggles to accept themselves. However, most of them face a bigger challenge due to lack of acceptance from parents and parental pressure to get married.
So, we have to convince parents to attend counselling and understand their child. It’s okay to be anyway they are and wish to be. You must understand, not everyone is built the same.
We need to change parents’ ideas and help them have a better perspective of the world around them.
Dr Smita Agrawal
Consultant psychiatrist

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