>GB Meet on Blackmail and Extortion on Sunday, May 13th, 2007 at Zouk<
Venue: Zouk, Hotel Imperial Palace, Telli Galli, Andheri (East); Mumbai 400069. Time: 4 pm to 7 pm. Entry: Free. There's one line of argument about being gay in India, which is that it's no big deal. Sure it's illegal, but it's not prosecuted. Gay men face problems from their family, but not from the government - the existence of sites like GB itself is evidence of that. So why bother protesting S.377. You're not going to get arrested. Its not going to be a problem. Lets party. This is bullshit. It's bullshit for one simple reason: Blackmail. You've read the stories of it happening on these lists. You've heard of it happening to friends. Perhaps it's even happened to you. Blackmail of gay men, with all the physical and mental violence that goes with it, is one of the biggest human rights issue that gay men in India face. And it involves S.377 because the threat of it's use is what gives blackmailers their power - especially those meant to implement it, the police, are often the blackmailers themselves. Does this mean we're helpless? No. Blackmail works because it assumes you are helpless and won't dare or don't know how to stand up for yourself. But if we share our experiences, learn from each other, learn how to be there for each other, learn how the police works and how to deal with them, learn how to use the media, other activists, friends we stand a good chance of dealing with this menace. Blackmailers think we are weak, and alone perhaps we are. But together we aren't. We started this attempt to combine our energies to fight blackmail with a meeting at Humsafar sometime back that Nitin Karani had helped us organise. We're now taking this forward with a meeting at Zouk on Sunday, May 13th, from 4-7 pm. At this meeting we'll be asking people who have been blackmailed to share their stories. We'll be hearing from people who have managed to fight back. We'll get legal advice on what can be done. Alok will share from his work of documenting blackmail stories from across the country which will show how wide ranging the problem is. Will all this solve the problem? Almost definitely not. Something so deep rooted (and so lucrative for the police) is not going to go away overnight. But a meeting like this is one step towards helping us cope with the problem. After the last meeting at Humsafar there have been many more stories about blackmail - but also more stores, just a few, but more and more, of people who fought back. They weren't intimidated, they knew their rights and they refused to be victimised. And in at least some of these cases we've been told that it was because of past discussions and initiatives on blackmail that they knew they didn't have to give in. So don't come on the 13th expecting instant solutions. Come to share your stories, share tactics, share information, share support and share in an effort to stop gay men being blackmailed in Bombay. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Directions: Hotel Imperial Palace is a 5 minute walk from Andheri station on the East side. Walk up the Andheri Kurla Road (towards the Highway) and turn right into Telli Galli. It's the 3rd building on your right. But if you're driving and taking the Andheri flyover, from West to East, make a left turn at the signal at the end of the flyover. Or if you're driving on the highway make a left turn at the Andheri flyover road and a right turn at the signal before the flyover. This is Telli Galli. Almost towards the end of this road, close to Andheri Kurla Road (perpendicular to Telli Galli), is Hotel Imperial Palace, on your left. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< SOME DON'TS: `GB, as a support group, has created this comfort/safe space for gays. Many people at the event may be "newbies" (those still coming to terms with their sexuality and/or those who have mustered the courage to come to such an event for the first time). We request you to be sensitive to the comfort levels of others and to behave and dress accordingly. `No dark rooms; if found indulging in any "hanky panky" you will be asked to leave the event. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> This event is organized by: http://www.gaybombay.org You have to be above the age of 18 to attend the event. Right of admission reserved. -----------------------------------------------------------------
