Minutes of third pride planning meeting for 2018: Chennai, Saturday, April 7, 2018

Third Pride Planning Meet for CRP2018
Sahodaran: 7 April 2018, 3:20 PM to 5:15 PM

Day	Date	Event
Friday	June 1	Press meet (inclusive of allies such as family members and media sensitization on appropriate terminology)
Saturday	June 2	Play ‘Parayan Marana Kadhai’: Kattiyakari with Dwaya and Nirangal
Saturday	June 9	Sexual health workshops (2 part): Orinam with CQC women’s group + Nirangal, Sahodaran, SAATHII
Sunday	June 10	Theatre workshop: Kattiyakari
Saturday	June 16	Advocacy event: TN LGBTIQ
Sunday	June 17	‘In our own words’: Poetry, Spoken Word on Queer, Trans and Feminist Themes: Orinam
Saturday	June 23	Vannangal cultural performances
Sunday	June 24	Pride march
Saturday	June 30	Play ‘Avamaanam’

* Other events being planned, such as Sahodaran’s events around sensitizing educators, will be announced later.

The following action items were deliberated upon:

1. Guidelines and protocols during the Pride march, and action to be taken against violators

• Guidelines on FAQ (Chennaipride.net/faq/) expanded from only for-profit companies to also non-profit organisations, due to previous events with non-profits publicizing their brand through banners and posters
• Wearing company/org t-shirts and carry placards supporting LGBTIQA+rights is okay. But no to both for-profit and non-profits using the forum to advertise products whether through ads, banners, pamphlets or leaflets, or handing out freebies (including rainbow flags, t-shirts, keychains, stationery items, etc., with branding of the organization)
• Action: An email from TNRC to the organisations concerned, if protocols violated and/or TNRC board members (3-6 of them) organise a conference call with org in question to make them understand that they have violated protocols and have gone against the spirit of Chennai Rainbow Pride.
• Regarding emergence of alternate websites, it was discussed that content from the chennaipride.net (i.e. Orinam.net/Chennaipride[1]) may be posted anywhere as long as the source is acknowledged and that items are not selectively added or deleted from the list posted elsewhere and that non-coalition events are not misrepresented as part of the official Pride calendar.

2. Inclusion of new/emerging or ally groups into the rainbow coalition was discussed. It was suggested that groups participating consistently over a time period and being involved in coalition events could be considered. “postpone this issue as they will automatically be included in the future with consistent show of support”, “will need to ask more senior members regarding process of applying/joining the coalition”

3. Ideas for press meet: parents, house owners, doctors (esp docs from the LGBTIQA+ community), allies of all kinds and community members to be on the panels. Five panelists w/ them inviting other people to speak a few words. Two innovations: 1. Allies in panel who have personal attachment/connection w/ the community and 2. Media sensitisation combined with press meet. A handout could given out (in English and Tamil). Equal weightage should be given to the terminology part and the voices of speakers speaking about events and issues. Volunteers for media sensitisation to be discussed (Brindaa interested).

4. Promo video: Malani’s proposal (approx. 5k estimate), by end of April she expects to finish it and will keep us updated. Details to be finalised once she will be back from Pune and Bangalore.

5. Disability inclusion: provisions for people w/ disability like eg. Blore pride march wherein taxi service helped passengers with wheelchairs traverse for the march route. Volunteers for persons with visual impairment. Sign language interpreters. Disclosure: if needed they can contact and needed arrangements can be made; to be placed before any event; advanced notification + mention in press meet + put into events web page. Even in planning events, Sahodaran has facilities to shift meeting downstairs if upper room not accessible.

6. Invites for people from other districts: funds for accommodation and travel; is budget estimation present?; Volunteer system like in Blore pride. Need to ask church or other venues if dormitory accessible during the day, to accommodateSahodaran available for stay and shower. Difficulty with overnight stays since many working class lgbt individuals would like to stay for the Vannangal but might not have funds.

7. Vannangal: Srijith proposed that the orgs/collectives organizing Vannangal consider it making a full-day event.

• One idea: evening session will stay as it is, and morning session will be opened up to different groups, individuals and organisations. However, two constraints, one is that people might be busy organising for the pride march. Srijith said would take responsibility for organising morning session and the audience. Second constraint could be lack of funds for an entire day’s program. Solution could be to invite organisations/groups and ask them to cover such costs, due to it also being the 10th year.
• Timings to be discussed and spread out during the day due to concerns of it being too packed.
• Organisers of Vannangal need to convene and discuss

8. Sports: person who proposed event is not present in current meeting; put on hold till representatives bring back the subject.

9. Permissions for venue of March: letter to commissioner and ask for a wheelchair accessible route.

10. Fundraising options:

• Pamphlet, brochure, email – a polite ask to entities for donations;
• People can mobilise funds based on individual orgs but not using the banner of tnrc.
• Mailer – to send out or print as a pamphlet
• Drop box in companies? Needs discussion.
• Colleges – queer group fundraising – collecting it by mobilising w/i college spaces
• Designer support + payment gateway – help needed w/ programming
• Transfers – intl’ – sahodaran; domestic – nirangal
• PayTM – digital payments – more trusted by ppl; not as fussy as bank transfers; easier for student communities; but can be only used w/i india
• By next meeting, research to be done

11. Bazaar/fund raising event- selling handicrafts, sarees, paintings

12. Sahodaran’s student sensitisation program during the weekdays in June – dates to be finalised

13. Pride in Coimbatore – TBA, tentatively August

14. Next planning meet – Chennai SIAAP at April 21st Morning

Minutes by Anussha

[1] The website chennaipride.net, hosted by Orinam, contains the press release,event reports, and media coverage, FAQ, and official calendar of eventsorganized by the Tamil Nadu Rainbow Coalition and/or co-organized by its member organizations and collectives during Pride month. Archives dating back to 2010 may be accessed via the Wayback machine on archive.org.