Haze of Spring

Abstract

Due to the legal discourse following the LGBTQ+ community since 2009 & the verdict of the Supreme Court in 2018 concerning section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, the last decade has been crucial for the community in India. However, even though the justice system requires the need for mental health assistance and advocacy for the members of the community, it continues to face neglect on a national and individual level. Homophobia and transphobia continue to persist in Indian social circles. It�s a mindset passed on or created due to the beliefs that homosexuality is unnatural, abnormal and a sin. Though there are organisations like Nazariya, Humsafar Trust, Naz Foundation to name a few, they are obligated to work with people over the age of 18 years. It is already difficult for teens to get comfortable with the changes in their mindset and body. Combining this with bullying or abuse within peer groups due to their �non-gender normative� attributes, a Queer teen becomes more suceptiable to skipping school, have mental health issues or self harm. Haze of Spring is a short documentary that tries to shine light upon the early consciousness, bullying, stories of compassion and face of self acceptance experienced by the members of the LGBTQIA+ community. It does so using the life stories of three members from the community. Though there were a lot of ideas that were explored before embarking on this project, the central theme of most of them were related to the impact of a problem on kids. However, under the guidance of Prof. Madhumita Mazumdar and Prof. Vishvajit Pandya, I was able to refine the project further. This was especially crucial in shaping the final narrative and deciding the appropriate medium for presenting the information in an effective manner