1. How and when was Anchor founded? Can you talk about the history of the queer community at BITS? When was the first organised club/support group set up?

Anchor—a group of allies and individuals who identify as LGBTQIA+—is working towards building an LGBTQIA+-inclusive campus community in BITS Pilani. Back in 2010, the founder of Anchor came out to their friends and started to look for people from the community through different channels like DC++ and Facebook. The community talked to other LGBTQIA+ support groups and, in 2013, created a Facebook group called “Anchor”. They started organising small talks for campus students where they answered questions and introduced other people as allies. They also conducted a play titled “Ek Madhav Baug” by Mona Ambegaokar with the help of a supportive professor. Over the years, Anchor’s activity has fluctuated with the availability of volunteers. However, the Facebook page “Anchor – Gender and Sexuality Cell” has been running actively for the past 7–8 years.

2. How much support does Anchor/the queer community in BITS Pilani, Pilani campus, receive from the Institute? How can it be improved?        

When Anchor started, a lot of professors did not come out to help the students even if they were in favour of the cause. Things have changed now, though. The Institute has conducted two talks in the last academic year to sensitise the students towards the LGBTQIA+ community: one with Ms Anjali Gopalan, the founder of Naz Foundation and one by Mr Mahesh Natarajan, the founder of Innersight. We have also had discussions with the Vice-Chancellor and the Chief Warden, where we talked about the issues that people from the community face and the measures that can be taken to improve the situation. The Institute is supportive of the issue and willing to help.

3. How are LGBTQIA+ events/talks organised on campus? How is the turnout for such events?

Past events have been organised by a group of faculty members who are working towards the welfare of the community. The turnout for the first event was great but less so for the second event. Students were interested in listening to the speakers and asked a variety of questions that ranged from awareness to learning what they can do to improve the environment on campus.

4. What changes have you seen in life on campus or the community’s presence since Section 377 was removed?

Decriminalisation of homosexuality gave individuals the confidence to come out and talk about their needs and experiences. This has led to an increase in the amount of conversation surrounding the community, which is a step forward towards making the campus more queer-friendly. But even now, the campus is not as supportive as one would hope, as there are people still living in the proverbial closet. The possibility of not being accepted is a huge driving force for not coming out. The fear of being left out of activities, being a subject of mockery, or being disowned by their friends and family leads individuals to hide their identity.

5. How is life as a queer person on campus? What kind of difficulties do queer individuals face on campus and in general?

A queer person faces a lot of problems on a daily basis. The biggest issue is the use of derogatory terms like “faggot” or “meetha”. These off-handed comments build up over time to cause major issues. People judge you on the way you dress, talk, and carry yourself. This behaviour is not just limited to students but extends to faculty members too. Our campus is not really queer-friendly, which makes it difficult for a person from the community to be themselves. At times, one has to pretend to be straight and act as if one is attracted to the opposite sex or dress according to how society defines one’s sex. There is a lack of freedom to be who one is, even though it is a fundamental right. There are few people on campus who understand or wish to talk to students from the community due to homophobia, transphobia, lack of awareness, or fear of being associated with the cause and being ostracised because of that. Revealing one’s identity without one’s consent or invading one’s privacy as a form of bullying is also another issue. These are just some of the problems people face both on campus and in general. These actions affect individuals in various ways which may even lead to serious mental health issues.

6. What is the motive of the cell and how does it plan to combat the stereotypes associated with the LGBTQIA+ community?

We feel that our campus does not have an LGBTQIA+ friendly environment yet and some of us have even faced discrimination and jokes about our sexuality/gender ourselves. We direly want to change this situation and create a better living environment for people so that they can really be who they want to be and not feel ashamed of their sexuality, which was the main motive behind the formation of Anchor. We are trying to combat issues by creating awareness and sensitising students towards the issues the community faces and how they can improve the campus environment by having experts come and talk about it both online and offline. We are also a safe space for people from the community to talk to as there are very few people who understand their issues and with whom they can truly be themselves.

7. How do you reach out to closeted individuals? How can someone get support if they wish to remain anonymous? Are members of Anchor anonymous to other members as well?

It is not possible to personally reach out to individuals since we do not know who is closeted and needs help, but whenever we come across someone through our platforms who is in need of a safe space to talk, we reach out to them. We provide a safe space to anyone irrespective of their sexuality or gender. They can approach us on our Instagram, Facebook page, or via emails through personal or pseudo IDs if they want to remain anonymous. It takes immense courage to reach out for help, and we respect that. If people choose to share their identity with us, it will remain with us. As of now, the members are not anonymous to each other but when someone joins Anchor, it is at their discretion to reveal their identity. Being a part of Anchor is not dependent on one’s sexuality/gender. Our aim is to create awareness and be a safe space for people from the community. Anyone who wants to talk to us can approach us without having to reveal their sexual identity.

8. What can allies do to help support the community in general or their own queer friends?

As BITSians, we are a group of educated people so it should not be hard for us to make our environment friendlier. Stop using terms that mean gay or trans in a derogatory way. If someone comes out to you, do not question them or put them down. It is okay if you do not understand what they are going through, but do not make fun of them. It takes immense courage for someone to come out, so you should respect that. Even if you do not go against the community yourself, stop others from putting down people from the community.  We, as BITSians, are a family and we must respect one’s gender identity and sexuality as a family member. Our unity is our strength. If you have doubts about the community, talk to your friends, or us, and educate yourself and the people around you.

9. Is Anchor Pilani at par with its Hyderabad and Goa counterparts?

Even though Anchor was initially started in Pilani Campus, it has grown to all other campuses and taken the form of the current “Anchor – Gender and Sexuality Cell, BITS Pilani”. It was established around 2012–13. It was never meant to be limited to one campus, but as a single unit for the students of BITS Pilani University. Due to inactivity and for better functioning inside the campus, there have been specific pages for the other campuses.

10. How do you plan to increase awareness amongst the general BITSian population regarding the LGBTQIA+ spectrum?

We plan to conduct live sessions by notable people from the LGBTQIA+ community. Apart from spreading awareness through the Instagram page, we plan to have some articles on our blog, which we will share over time. There already exists a Facebook page with the handle “Anchor – Gender and Sexuality Cell” since 2013, which is actively posting LGBTQIA+ content. Apart from online resources, we plan to organise various events on campus and are in talks with some faculty members for the same.

Anchor BITS Pilani, will conduct an Instagram Live session with Ramkrishna Sinha, a BITS alumnus and the co-founder of Pride Circle, on the importance of a safer and more inclusive campus. The session will be held on June 28, 2020 (Sunday) at 5:00 PM on the Instagram handles, @pride_circle and @anchorbitspilani.