It was a day of enlightenment. Not only did I get to know that all men have to answer the question “Have you ever had sex with another man ?” on a form to be filled at a blood bank, but he is not allowed to donate blood if the answer to the question is Yes!
Oh my, this is sad and discriminatory. It is indeed an assault on the self-respect of all MSM. And hence, my sympathies and support to all gay men denied of the noble cause. I am wondering if there’s a solution to this problem. The most obvious one would be – just respond ‘No’ to the question. That would simply solve the issue!
No, it doesn’t mean I am suppressing or repressing my sexuality. And I am much more progressive than the uncle-jee who once asked his friend if he should write yes or no to the question “sex?” on one such form. Fortunately, the question has now been rephrased to “Sex? (M / F) ” to clarify things a bit.
I’m sure the state can take steps against an MSM who lies on the form, but seriously, what is the alternative? Maybe our medically-qualified readers can shed light on the scientific rationale behind such a provision, if one exists. But my dear peer queers think that this battle should be vehemently fought. An RTI should thus be filed, and another case of injustice on queers should reach the noble big doors of High Court.
I wish I could spearhead and drive such a project, but unfortunately, all these gay politics has tired me to the bone. Ever since I have come out of the closet, queerness has only one meaning left – sexuality! As if being queer has no other dimension. There was a point in time when intrusion in private matters was an issue. Now, we feel the need to tattoo our sexual choices on our foreheads. And damn the people, who think we are not normal.
I say, ‘aur bhi gum hai zamaane mein, mohabbat ke siva’ (there are many other troubles, love aside). This isn’t to say the issue of sexuality in a blood-donation-form is in any way trivial. No. But consider this: should we learn to choose our battles wisely? Why have we become so over-sensitive towards our sexuality and the labels alike? We are still awaiting the judgment on 377 in Supreme Court. Artists are still being harassed because of the queer nature of their work. There is no dearth of battles we fight. But perhaps we should hack away at the roots than at the branches? The day we have the bigger questions answered – these smaller ones would just disappear. Some of the problems we tackle regularly are an effect of the problem! Or to use a medical analogy: we must fight the disease instead of tackling the symptoms one-at-a-time. So says, my little wise queer heart
But I want to know what the readers think. Should I be upset because the gay street in the red light district area in Amsterdam is called ‘Straight Straat’?
