[The Coop] Normal to Not Conform: On Conversion Therapy & Working with Queer Children

June is Pride Month…

and this year, it’s got the color of rebellion, the noise of rage, smells like red earth & rain, grips you with the full force of love and has the lingering flavor of a new dawn.

Welcome to a very special edition of The Coop in which we register the protest – “The discourse is too damn binary!” 

Reports from elsewhere reveal how queer children tend to be over-represented in child welfare systems. So clearly there is invisibilisation afoot in India at various levels that needs urgent course correction.

Driving this point home is our new podcast “The Due Normal”. Episode 1 features two amazing queer affirmative therapists taking deep dives into the issue of ‘sexual orientation conversion therapy’ (which recently claimed a young victim) & the larger culture of queer-trans negativity in our families & systems.

Then there’s proof of how easy it is in India to contact doctors who offer “sexual orientation” counselling. Follow this with a list of queer affirmative counselors to connect gender non-confirming children with.

Conversion Therapy

The Due Normal Podcast: On Conversion Therapy

Trigger Warning: Discussions on Suicide, Queer/Trans-Negativity.

Uma & Sudipta from Aarambh India are joined by queer affirmative therapists & researchers Shruti Chakravarty & Pooja Nair who are both associated with the Mariwala Health Initiative. They discuss how there is nothing ‘therapeutic’ about conversion therapy, the socio-cultural contexts that give such ‘therapies’ legitimacy and how Indian families and systems are unable to reckon with the needs of a ‘non-conforming’ child. And finally, what you can do and should do about it.

If you don’t like podcast, we have the whole conversation transcribed for you at the above link.

Also, Click here for a comprehensive list of queer friendly & queer affirmative resources put together by the Mariwala Health Initiative.

Finding Conversion Therapists

How Easy Is it to find Conversion Therapy/Sexual Orientation Counselling in India?

In 30 seconds we found a page with the above box, a full roster of practitioners sorted by location who offer sexual orientation counselling and a shady online ecosystem that puts already vulnerable children, adolescents & young people at imminent risk.

The sites responsible: Lybrate, an online medical platform funded by Ratan Tata among others & Practo. They need to clean up. Now.

Queer Affirmative Therapists

A List of Queer Friendly, Inclusive Mental Health Practitioners

The Pink List has collated a list of queer-friendly, inclusive mental health practitioners to offer support particularly during the lockdown. This is a handy document that needs to be referred to and consulted each time one comes across a non-conforming child.

Rave

Everybody in the Place 

A masterclass by artist Jeremy Deller who talks to a bunch of students about rave culture & dance halls. They end up with a discussion that touches on contemporary politics, sex positivity and multi-culturalism.

So much creativity & beauty to be found… once you look beyond the boundaries.

***

this just came in:

Prerana launched a petition to Make Public Toilets Free in Maharashtra. It is injustice to ask communities to pay for sanitation during a pandemic. Speak up. Sign Up.

We’d also add that the government should be opening up private bathrooms in malls, movie theaters, office buildings etc to the communities in need. Put that in the comments, if you agree.

That’s it for this Week. See You In the Next!

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