Life post 377: Working towards inclusive nightlife

500. That's how many people Ashish Chopra sends a broadcast message to every Thursday. Incidentally also a recruiter at a Pune-based IT firm, Ashish is the guy that several people from the city's LGBTQ+ community depend on for their weekend party fix. He rounds up a minimum of 150 confirmed guests and then app roaches various pubs and clubs, to book one for Saturday night. To many, it might seem bizzare that someone takes this much effort in a city of over 40 nightlife venues, many of which are alive till the wee hours on weekends. But this is the only way the LGBTQ+ community - especially transgenders - can ensure they are not denied entry, ridiculed or subjected to homophobic stares, comments and even violence.

"The problem is homophobia. People are not even ok with gay couples holding hands. And most places have ‘couple entry’ on Saturdays, where gay couples are simply not allowed," says Ashish, confident that not much could have changed over the three weekends since the Section 377 verdict. "Places like High Spirits, Orion and Farmaaish have always been very supportive. But in the past, my friend and I have been denied entry at a couple of places in Pune. And if you talk to more people from the community, you'll get to hear many such stories," he says.

The 'couple entry' conundrum
Managers of venues that insist on ‘couple entry’, cite security as the reason behind this house rule. Their concerns vary from straight men posing as gay couples, to instances of arguments and scuffles between homosexuals and heterosexuals. But according to Abhishek Markandeya, owner of Orion in Pune, these fears no longer hold ground. He says, "We initially hosted a few private parties for the LGBTQ+ community and then started mixing in heterosexual guests as well. That's when we realised that these fears are baseless. Out of 10 heterosexual guests, just one or two would be homophobic and feel awkward. People have even written negative things about us on Zomato for hosting the LGBTQ+ community."
Luckily, Abhishek does not let bad reviews dictate norms. He feels pubs owners need to start realising that the business volume is not always bigger on the heterosexual side. "We have noticed that the LGBTQ+ crowd always gives back. One hundred per cent of them spend, versus the 70 per cent who spend in heterosexual groups," he shares.

Homophobia is bad business
While Ashish suggests "gay bars where straight people are welcome," as a possible solution, Mumbai-based singer and performer Sushant Divgikar insists on the opposite. "We do not need special privileges or sympathy. We are not an endangered species," he asserts, adding that discounts and special offers for heterosexual couples need to be reassessed. "There should be no ‘couple entry’ in the first place. Everyone should enter and everyone should pay. Across the best clubs in the world, you pay and enter. That's it," says the drag artist, who feels that parties should be all-inclusive. That opinion is seconded by equal rights activist Harish Iyer, also from Mumbai, who says, "The need is for inclusive spaces. Couples of all kinds should be recognised."
Harish does however note that most nightlife spaces in Mumbai - the city that is said to have birthed the LGBTQ+ movement in India - have been quite supportive of the community. The only issue there, being homophobia. "India loses a lot of revenue to homophobia, so it makes perfect business sense to be homophilic," he says, referring to World Bank research that put India's Gross Domestic Product loss between 0.1 to 1.7 per cent, in 2012.
Make allies, start dialogues
Given there's no denying the revenue loss in India due to homophobia, Gujarat-based human rights activist, Manvendra Singh Gohil has an astute suggestion. "We have to talk to establishment owners in their language and tell them how they will benefit by including us. I create allies. These allies will educate others," says the gay prince of Rajpipla, adding that post the Section 377 verdict, he has received several inquiries from gay tourists who want to visit India now. And needless to say, a thriving, inclusive and safe nightlife will go a long way in making these tourists feel at home. The way forward, according to him, is for the LGBTQ+ community to make allies of restaurateurs, hoteliers and other heads in the hospitality industry, and organise sensitization workshops for their staff.

Stereotypes must go
Manvendra is not the only one who feels that the onus falls on the community to initiate dialogue and reform. Talking about the scenario in Chennai, fashion show director and LGBTQ+ activist Sunil Menon says that his city, though conservative, has always been tolerant. "Places like Pasha at The Park have always been LGBTQ+ friendly. But here, establishments are fewer and the license process is so stringent that a one-off incident with someone from the community rattles the owners, who are afraid losing their license," he explains, alluding to the rampant ostracisation of transgenders - not just in Chennai, but across the country - because of the labels imposed on them. Purging those stereotypes is something the whole community needs to address, he points out. That said, Sunil feels that Kochi in Kerala is the only metro in the country that is unsafe for the community, when it comes to nightlife. "The drinking culture is completely macho and the only women who go out drinking are those who are not locals. I would say it is completely LGBTQ+ unsafe with respect to nightlife," Sunil shares without hesitation.

Recruit a transgender workforce
Agreeing that the pub culture is "not great" in the city, Kochi-based activist and photographer Jijo Kuriakose, who works to bring visibility to gay issues, sums up the situation in one line. "People from the community who want to party, travel to Bengaluru for the weekend," says Jijo about the Southern metro, and transgender IT professional Krishna bears testimony to that. "I was able to embrace myself after I moved to Bengaluru. You feel very comfortable when you go out partying here," shares the native of Kochi, who moved to Bengaluru in his teens and now calls the capital of Karnataka, home. All praise for the acceptance that prevails in the garden city of India, Krishna, who is transitioning to become Anjali, feels that transgenders need to be given equal employment opportunities, so that they can eliminate the stigma shrouding them.
Nightclub chain Kitty Su, from The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group, is popular in this regard. Going beyond inclusive nights, they showcase LGBTQ+ performers and are also popularising drag shows at their branches in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chandigarh. Keshav Suri, executive director of the group, has 12 transgenders currently on roll across his hotels. "Transgender employees and drag queens can be beneficial to a nightclub. I have a strong workforce in them," he informs, adding thoughtfully that what nightclubs need to consider immediately, are "Nights where everyone is included, even the differently abled."
During the September 6 Supreme Court verdict on Section 377, Justice Indu Malhotra said, "History owes an apology to the members of this community and their families, for the delay in providing redressal for the ignominy and ostracism that they have suffered through the centuries." Maybe it's time to stop celebrating the 'landmark verdict' and start providing that redressal instead.

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