As we enter into Pride Month, student associations across India have started planning for pride parades and events to mark the month of June.
One such pride march was organised on Thursday, June 1 by the Students' Federation of India (SFI) at Delhi University (DU) Arts faculty, North Campus advocating for progressive and more inclusive campuses.
This pride month, the student group has put forward a list of demands to ensure that the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community are being protected at educational institutes.
Horizontal reservation for transgender community
SFI stated that the transgender student community faces oppression in educational institutions leading to a high dropout rate on top of an already low enrolment rate.
“A horizontal reservation system should be enacted in all educational institutions and their hostels to ensure fair access to quality education to transgender students hailing from different backgrounds from all parts of the country,” SFI said.
The group added that even after eight years of the historic NALSA judgement that said that trans people be provided 'all kinds of reservation' for their upliftment, yet eight years later no such provision to implement the judgement has been formulated.
Gender sensitisation committees
Discrimination, dehumanisation and mental and sexual harassment are just a few among the large array of oppressive acts that the queer community has to face in colleges every day, SFI explained.
“A proper Gender Sensitisation Cell Against Sexual Harassment should be instituted in all colleges. GSCASH should replace the outdated system of ICCS which only take action once a crime has already occurred and does nothing to prevent such atrocities,” SFI added.
The group highlighted that many colleges in DU have not even had ICC elections for over four years.
Gender neutral washrooms
The lack of gender-neutral washrooms is another major issue in colleges for students who do not fit in the conventional ‘binary’ boxes.
“In most colleges in Delhi (barring one or two) there are no gender-neutral washrooms on the campuses. Transgender, intersex and gender non-conforming students are all forced to use either of the two washrooms dedicated to the established binary, putting their identity into question and their safety at risk,” the student group added.
Queer inclusive mental health and anti-ragging cells
Queer community goes through oppression by people, including their family and friends. These cases, along with ragging incidents against the community, have fueled a mental health crisis in the people.
SFI added that the mental health cells present in most DU colleges are either dysfunctional and insensitive towards queer students or do not exist at all.
The group also demanded that the existing anti-ragging cells in colleges be modified to accommodate queer-friendly members and take strict action against queerphobic tendencies on college campuses.
