Desi Out: Coming Out Stories from the Diaspora

The process of “coming out” is often touted as a landmark rite-of-passage in the queer person’s life. While it is often fraught with confusion and emotional struggle, it can be an empowering and cathartic experience. Meanwhile, reading other people’s coming-out stories can be life-affirming and inspiring.

So just in time for Pride season, we’re launching a series about coming out stories. Please consider sharing your story! To protect your confidentiality, the stories can be published anonymously on our blog. We will also be conducting video interviews at Queens Pride (June 6th), Brooklyn Pride (June 12th), and Manhattan Pride (June 27th).

If you are interested in participating, please contact Aastik (aastik@gmail.com).

NYS Legislature Provides Medical Decision Making Authority to Same-Sex Partners

After being stalled in the Legislature for 17 years, the New York State Senate has finally joined the Assembly in passing the Family Health Care Decisions Act that enables a loved one to made health care decisions when the patient is not able to do so. The bill places a same-sex or opposite-sex domestic partner, just like a spouse, ahead of a surviving child or parent in making these decisions. Governor Paterson has said he will sign the bill into law when it is sent to him.

New York has been one of just two states where without a health care proxy, no one—not a domestic partner, spouse, or family member—could make health care decisions when the patient lacked the ability to do so. This gap in state law has sometimes forced loved ones to seek medical decision-making authority from a judge at the very time they should be focusing all their attention on caring for their partner.

Now, loved ones including same-sex spouses who were married out-of-state or fit the domestic partnership definition will have the ability to make these decisions. The domestic partnership definition is expansive, and includes those who may not be able to formally record their relationship because there is no domestic partner registry where they live. The Pride Agenda was instrumental in the redrafting of this domestic partner language to make sure it was uniform with all other domestic partner definitions in state law, such as that found in the hospital visitation bill that became law in 2004 and the control of bodily remains bill that became law in 2006.

Since same-sex couples still do not have the legal right to get married in New York State, the Pride Agenda has worked hard over the past few years to make sure LGBT families have protections in state law covering important end-of-life situations. When the Governor signs this measure into the law, the three most common situations where blood relatives sometimes seek to exclude a LGBT partner—hospital visitation, medical decision-making and the ability to make decisions about the disposition of partner remains—can no longer occur in New York State.

“We thank the Assembly and Assemblymember Gottfried for leading this effort for so many years and are glad the Senate has finally passed this measure and the Governor will be signing it into law,” said Executive Director Alan van Capelle.

(press release from Empire State Pride Agenda)

Sholay Productions presents HOT PINK PRIDE!

From Sholay Productions:

Get for ready for our NYC Gay Pride Weekend blowout bash!
Desilicious: HOT Pink Pride Party

Friday, June 26th
Doors Open 11pm

BollyHouse Beats by Ashu Rai and DJ Bobby
Big Screen Bollywood Visuals by Neeraj
Midnight Performance by Shammie and Ciara

BB King
237 West 42nd St
(between 7th/8th Ave.)

Doors open 11pm
18 to Party / 21 to drink
(must have I.D.)

Dress code: you guessed it – hot & pink!
18 to Party / 21 to drink
(must have I.D.)

$20 at the door
A limited number of $15 advance tickets available at www.desiclub.com

Pride Reception!

Come to SALGA’s annual Pride Reception for the community as well as out-of-towners! This year, it will be at the very trendy, very hip Le Royale.

Don’t miss DJ Rekha who will be spinning beats all night long!

Where: Le Royale 21 7th Ave. South
When: Saturday June 27th at 9pm
Cover: $5 before 11pm, $10 after; $5 for students all night

Anti-gay protesters pitch to Pope, Imam and Shankaracharya

SOURCE: MiD-Day

AUTHOR: Anshuman G Dutta

The gays in the country are preparing for the year’s biggest event for the community and those opposed to their way of life are planning to pitch in religion, law and politics together to stop them from doing so.

In an open letter to the Pope, the Shahi Imam of New Delhi’s Jama Masjid and the Shankaracharya, the Youth Unity for Vibrant Action (YUVA) has called for their support to “send a message to the practitioners of homosexuality that they won’t be allowed to destroy the social capital”.

The gay pride parade held in Delhi last year

The gay community is getting ready for the annual Gay Pride Parade in the capital on June 28. Such parades are organised by the queer community to commemorate the Stonewall riots in the USA back in 1969, when there was a spontaneous riot against persecution of homosexuals at the Stonewall Inn in New York City.

YUVA’s national convener Binay Kumar Singh told MiD DAY that they will invite gay rights activist for a debate. “Gays are the most vulnerable group for contracting infections like STDs and HIV. Moreover this parade is anti-social and illegal by nature,” he said.

The youth organisation, which gained notoriety for throwing a slipper at author-activist Arundhati Roy and later auctioning it off, has threatened the Delhi Police commissioner too. The organisation has said it will complain against him in the High Court for allowing an “illegal activity.”

In a letter to the police commissioner, YUVA said: “If permission is granted for the parade, a case will be filed against you for contempt of court before the Hon’ble Delhi High Court, as the decision on the Section 377 IPC is still pending.”

YUVA is also planning to file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Delhi High Court to “appraise the legal fraternity about how this entire issue is against the provisions of the IPC,” said Singh.

Apart from inviting youth from all over the country for the protest, YUVA is planning to rope in doctors, lawyers and teachers too. “We will wait till June 26 for the Delhi police to reply and if they don’t, we will assure the parade doesn’t begin,” said Singh.

We are against activists too
In the letter to the police commissioner, YUVA has asked the police to initiate action against gay
right activists Celina Jaitely and Ashok Row Kavi. The organisation complained that while promoting homosexuality,  these people were condemning the institution of marriage.