GNLU gender-sexuality forum focuses on legal aspect

In a first, students of Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) have created a space not just to talk about issues of gender and sexuality, but to discuss the  Indian laws acknowledging diverse sexualities and fundamental right of sexual freedom. As part of the Gender and Sexuality forum, a three-day queer film festival was organized on GNLU campus to screen films revolving around issues such as freedom of sexual orientation, challenging heteronormativity,etc.

Speaking about the initiative, Arnaaz Ameer, a 5th-year law student and president of GNLU’s Gender and Sexuality Forum said, “While other institutes like IIMA, IITGN also have a similar forum, ours stands on a different path as we intend to discuss laws related to sexual freedom in this space. We would like to collaborate with IIMAlly, the LGBTQ group of IIMA and the forum of IITGN. We received great support from our faculty. This was the first event of the forum and soon we will be undertaking research evolving around these issues.”

Through this platform, as a law school, we would like to break the gender stereotypes. The forum shall advance this mission through high-quality research, campaigns on sensitisation and awareness, and through events such as movie screenings, conferences, workshops and seminars aimed to develop expertise in this field. We will also be engaging with various scholars, policymakers, professionals as well as students in relevant dialogues for the development of the subject, she added.

Commenting on the list of films chosen for the film festival, she said, “We have a student from South Africa who is here for an exchange program and they also have a similar forum in his university. We took recommendations from people who helped us to list some of the best films. The movies send a very strong message. For example, the film ‘I’dentity is a moving Indian documentary which describes the real life of people living with gender dysphoria, the problems they face, and their varying sources of support. Filled with the rushing dynamism of a two-person narrative, the documentary showcases how varied paradigms deal with problems of gender identification, she said.

FILMS SCREENED DURING THE FESTIVAL

• I’dentity-A documentary on gender identity disorder
• Pretty boy
• Stray
• Brace
• Trevor
• Call me cate