SIDDHARTH NARRAIN based on his legal and extra legal expertise arrives at the conclusion that size does matter
A LETTER TO YOUR LORDSHIPS
Your Lordships have called us, LGBT Indians, a “miniscule minority”. Never mind that statistically we constitute at least four per cent of the population, which are over four million people. Your Lordships say that there are only 200 persons impacted by section 377 over the last 150 years. Never mind that there are millions of LGBT persons who have been under the shadow of this law over the last 150 years, discriminated against, blackmailed, harassed, outed to their families, driven to suicide, forcibly married, diagnosed as mentally ill, raped, assaulted, and disinherited.
Your Lordships say we are a “miniscule minority”. Since you are so fond of dictionaries, lets flip one open.
Miniscule: The adjective miniscule is etymologically related to minus, but associations with mini have produced the spelling variant miniscule.
French, from Latin: minisculus- rather small, diminutive
Lets flip a thesaurus for good measure.
Miniscule: Synonyms: atomic, bitty, infinitesimal, miniature, microminiature, microscopic, tiny, minute, wee, weeny, teensy weensy, itsy bitsy, teeny weeny.
Reminds me of the Brian Hyland song, “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini”. Your Lordships may be familiar with the lyrics. They are appropriate for the occasion. It goes.
She was afraid to come out of the locker
She was as nervous as she could be
She was afraid to come out of the locker
She was afraid that somebody would see..
Your Lordships say we are a miniscule minority. We say your role, as a guardian of the Constitution is to protect the rights of minorities, however itsy bitsy, teeny weeny, itty-bitty they may be.
I’ve thought long and hard about how your Lordships reached the conclusion that “miniscule minorities” don’t deserve rights. The logic of your statement eluded me all these days. Then, finally, it dawned on me. Of course, that was what your judgment is all about. That’s the crux of your 98-page decision.
And you know what, I can’t disagree with you on this one.
Size Does Matter
KAFILA - COLLECTIVE EXPLORATIONS SINCE 2006 
Siddarth, very, very nice…I am still chuckling. This one will put them totally off balance; not at all what they would expect given how they have spun the words. Be prepared to be hauled out in the wee hours of the morning…
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Fantastic. What reason is unable to do, I hope sarcasm succeeds in.
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Nice one. But 4 % of the Indian population is not just 4 million, but 48 million people !
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Good one Mr. Siddharth!
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It doesn’t matter how many laws you pass. Society needs to change. Laws against dowry have existed for decades. Yet parents continue to give gifts to their daughters, upon marriage. There are plenty of minority populations that are significantly less than 4% of a country’s population who are fully accepted (Parsis, for instance). True or false, the LGBT lifestyle is seen as a negation of the traditional lifestyle. Those who prefer the traditional lifestyle, therefore, will always militate against LGBT just as those who choose the LGBT lifestyle militate against the traditionalists. In this day and age nobody is prevented from living the way they choose. However, forcing the rest of the world to accept that your lifestyle is just as good as anyone else’s, or better, is unethical. You may live as you wish. Others don’t have to like it. Similarly, others may live as they wish. You don’t have to like it.
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Minorities need special protection !
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Four percent is forty million and more not 4 million
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