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Its been almost eight months since the Delhi government repealed Article 377. It brought forth a celebration in the queer community as a victorian law was finally cast aside and social modernity ushered in. However for the Queer community this happiness was shortlived.

The recent case of Dr Siras who was suspended from AMUfor being gay is one of the worst cases of human rights violation. Dr Siras has been an academic for a few decades now and was due to retire when AMU planned a sting operation to uncover his ‘moral turpitude’ and subsequently found him guilty of misconduct and promptly managed to get him thrown out.
It is disheartening to see gay people being marginalised even though the Republic of India has legally abolished 377 giving queer people some amount of rights and freedom from being policed. The case of Dr Siras shows how nothing has really changed on the social level. People still remain ignorant and gay people are still being persecuted. What is really surprising is that the University has encroached on an individual’s privacy and snatched his fundamental rights and instead of being penalised for that the core issue seems to have shifted to Dr Siras’ sexuality.
People have come to support Dr Siras from all corners and a facebook group condemning AMU’s actions has already reached a staggering 730 members with names like Saleem Kidwai and Ashok Row Kavi taking charge of channeling this movement. Others have started signature campaings urging him to be reinstated. An academic on grounds of anonymity remarks ‘ Sexuality has become a matter of Don’t ask, Don’t tell policy atleast in major workplaces like ours (Kolkata in this case) but if the administrators now decide to install spy cameras in our bedroom it is the death of democracy and fundamental rights as we know it’
We do have people like Hoshang Merchant and Raj rao-very succesful academics and very flamboyantly gay. It’s a matter of great shame when cases like this one comes up. A section of AMU’s students have approved the action and have said they cannot ‘tolerate such unnatural activit(ies).’ Delhi University student Bedatri Choudhury condemns the action harshly and says it has got nothing to do with the individual’s intellectual or teaching abilities ‘for all you know,a few of my profs might be gay. It doesnt really make a difference,does it? If she teaches well and carries out the roles of a teacher well,how is she any different from any other straight prof? A prof's sexual orientation is as much cut off from her teaching proficiency as is her mother in law's name!’
Choudhury is not alone in her sentiments. Kama M, an openly gay teaching assistant in Canada says his sexuality has never really been an issue for him or his students.
Dr Siras’ suspension is one of the worst forms of discrimination that the Queer community has faced in recent years and as the celebration of the Delhi high court judgement fades into the background, the Queer community readies itself to fight a new battle. As the queen of disco Gloria Gaynor would say- (We) will survive.