Straight Talk

It’s the dead zone of an unnaturally hot afternoon. The crowd at the Coffee House has trickled to the die-hard regulars, and the hustle and bustle of College Street seems to be a distant dream thanks to the whir of the rickety old fans which drown all outside noise. The second floor of the seat of Bengali intelligentsia is however, astir with activity.
Pink banners, shouting AIDS and HIV are being tied next to a window, which seem to have attracted the attention of the local sparrows. They busy themselves pecking at the s rope that holds the banner straight. You worry about the fate of the rope but your eyes wander to the other corner of the room, where a young couple, oblivious to the activity around them, is sharing sweet nothings over a cup of tea and fish kabiraji.
Into all this walks a vision in black. Dripping sequins and faux pearls, Shyamolee (name changed on request) immediately grabs the attention of the boyfriend. The girlfriend fumes profanities to the cup, as Shyamolee settles herself in a table next to the couple.
The staring boyfriend doesn’t seem to affect Shyamolee, neither does the fuming girlfriend make any difference to her. She is used to such uncomfortable situations. “As a transsexual, one can’t help being subjected to stares. I realise that I affect these people, but I have learned not to make such a hue and cry about it,” she says before busying herself with her friends.
Shaymolee and her friends are at the Indian Coffee House to attend an adda on Sexuality rights and HIV, an endeavour which is quite unlike the usual Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) gatherings in the town. “The whole idea behind holding this adda in Coffee house was to reach out to people beyond our community. Issues such as sexuality rights is not limited to our community, these issues affect every human being,” says Anish Roy Chowdhury, a city-based LGBT activist.
Soon, other tables in the room are filled up with eager faces. A mike is installed in the middle of the room, a request for “the kind attention of the patrons” is made and the “adda session” starts. What follows is a potent discussion on sexuality and human rights. The microphone changes many hands as Article 377 of the Indian Penal code (which criminalises same sex behaviour) is trashed, pertinent points made and at times, irrelevant questions raised. After about an hour and a half, Roy Chowdhury is a happy man. “The evening is a success,” he declares.
In the middle of all these, however, the couple have made an unceremonious exit.