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Samantha Saxena; Advocate- Supreme Court of India; Delhi

I am basically from Allahabad but have been living in Delhi since the past 10 years. I went to Amity University, Noida and have been practicing as a lawyer in the Supreme Court of India for three years. Being gender-fluid, I can go both ‘feminine’ and ‘manly’ as and when I want.

When I came out to my group of friends who knew me as straight, one or two of them stopped being in touch with me. But I must say I have really good friends who actually have supported me throughout. I am out to almost all my friends in Delhi and to all my colleagues. When I came out to my friends, a guy with whom I was on really bad terms also got to know about it. He showed up at my house on February 14. I thought we’d again get into a fight with each other. Instead he had brought me a box of chocolates and said, “Samantha, let’s be friends.”

So, I think visibility definitely gives you better acceptance. If the world knows that we are everywhere and that we co-exist just like everyone else, it might be more accepting. When I came out to my friends, they were shocked to know that a gender-fluid person had been living among them for years! Visibility is very, very important. I am not very much in support of Pride Parades but I do agree that they have an impact in terms of Visibility for the LGBTQ community. I believe that many other things, be it Bollywood and advertisements or company policies, should also be LGBT-friendly. We are not mere objects to be made fun of. We are individuals with strengths of character and weaknesses, just like everyone else.

The Visibility Campaign features experiences of people identifying as LGBTQI as well as opinions of heterosexual allies. It attempts to fill a tiny part of the huge gap in LGBTQI representation by featuring the lived experiences of the gender/sexual minority from across the country, regardless of differences. The Visibility Campaign asserts the unique individuality of each person featured. It seeks to shatter stereotypes and broadcast the fact that LGBTQI people have our own strengths, weaknesses and identities, not suggesting this as a way to live, but simply telling that this is how we live.

If you identify as the gender/sexual minority, or are an ally and want your story/opinion to be featured on The Visibility Campaign, write to Queertopia at outintheopen2014@gmail.com. Tell us why you think visibility is important.

More details onQueertopia and the Visibility Campaign!

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