— Sharanya Kannan
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” This is exactly what Vannam does. Vannam is an independently run student-led LGBTQ+ support group of IIT Madras. The intention behind Vannam was to create a safe space, in the form of a support group, for people belonging to the community and it endeavors to engender an LGBTQ+ friendly environment on the campus without the fear of judgment or prejudice. This is a milestone in IIT Madras’ history as it promotes equality and also a platform for queer members to express themselves and allies to show their support.
Vannam was created in 2014 as a closely-knit LGBTQ+ support group that held a clandestine presence in the institute because of the absence of any formal supportive discourse in the mainstream community. Vannam’s operations were covert in nature and mostly catered only to the queer community on campus. In 2016, it conducted a sensitization session in collaboration with a Chennai-based NGO called Nirangal. However, it was only after the 2018 landmark judgment, that the campus experienced winds of change with the decriminalization of Section 377. Vannam began having a more significant presence in the institute. Vannam diversified its agenda, conducted multiple events that include talks by prominent people from the LGBTQ+ community to spread awareness and dismantle the homophobia held against members of the community.
In a similar vein, Vannam provides students with resources in the form of support as well as contacts to help students address their personal and social grievances. These are handled on a case by case basis providing students with individual attention. Issues of discrimination are common and are sometimes barriers that prevent people from coming out or accepting themselves for who they are. Moreover, insults about one’s sexuality is often considered frivolous banter, but it tends to have a long-lasting impact on the mental health of the queer community. These are some of the root causes that contribute to a hostile setting. Vannam is trying very hard to bring this form of discrimination on the grounds of gender, sex and sexuality to an end. It does so by conducting multiple workshops that make people let go of this backward mindset and educate them on sexual orientation and look beyond the binary. Putting an end to normalising sexuality and breaking the glass ceiling of stigmas surrounding the queer community is also on their agenda.
The 2018 judgment had a liberating effect on Vannam because their operations were no longer covert and thus they set out on a mission to support and affirm students regardless of their sexual orientation. This lead to a paradigm shift in attitude towards the community. People became more sensitive and started showing their support to the community without any inhibitions. As a result, Vannam started taking in allies under its wing allowing them to express their solidarity and unitedly promote inclusivity.
“During times of fear, when I was at my lows because of my sexuality, Vannam played an essential role in my recovery. Their advice and help was reassuring and it made me more confident of who I am and gave me access to a peer support system”. One of the members of Vannam felt this way and is grateful for the support it has provided them with as it has constantly strived to eradicate homophobia and break the stigma surrounding the LGBTQIA+ community. While today’s world has seen a tremendous amount of progress and inclusivity in this field, there still exists a degree of hostility because of the common heteronormative belief
Heteronormativity refers to the default belief that heterosexuality is normal and homosexuality is the “other” form of sexual orientation. Vannam aims to eradicate this behavior and cultivate an environment on campus where the queer community feels just as welcome and included as the others in all domains of activities conducted for the student body. Additionally, they maintain confidentiality at all times and this encourages students to discover themselves in a positive space free from judgment.
On that note, a good stage to start is by educating the student body on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. This will prevent discrimination and people will stop conforming to stereotypes about the community. Vannam has conducted numerous sensitization sessions and support group meetings. They conduct events that cater to the entire student body, like a movie screening in collaboration with a traveling fest group called Kashish. In 2020, the members were actively involved with Saathi to promote the spirit of Pride. Vannam has faced its fair share of difficulties in the form of opposition against its events. People are also skeptical about seeking help from Vannam because of the desire to remain anonymous. Despite all this Vannam has come a long way and made a significant impact on the student body of IIT Madras. They maintain utmost confidentiality and help students embrace their true selves. Vannam aspires to work towards institutional policy changes and also advocate mental well-being, thus they hope to tie up with professional mental health therapists to resolve this issue
Respect. This is what the community asks for and it is high time we make them feel welcome in a world where there is a predetermined normal that is superior to the others. Why is it that only queer people have to come out? This is because of the default belief that everyone is straight unless they come out. This in itself is a form of discrimination that needs to be normalized. Similarly, using people’s preferred pronouns instead of making assumptions is another sign of reverence to queer people. Vannam aspires to put in place such a habitat on campus. There is a tremendous need for such b in support groups in the 21st century where there is a significant amount of progress, but a concomitant degree of backlash and regress from the opposers. We live in a dichotomy or a black and white world when in reality we need to let the rainbow engulf us all with happiness and this is something Vannam seeks to accomplish.
Design by Rohit G
Article 19 