SEXUAL MINORITIES EXPOSED AS DU’S ANTI-HARASSMENT ORDINANCE JUNKED

By Pallab Deb Apr 07, 2015, DU Beat

For long, Delhi University’s Ordinance XV-D, the Anti-harassment Ordinance was one of the best campus-based policies to address sexual harassment amongst students. It was gender-neutral, which allowed not just women who were harassed by men but also men and people of alternative sexual and gender identities to seek justice from the authorities in the University. But the recent replacement of the Ordinance with the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013 took away the act which protected queer students in DU.

What Did The 2015 Delhi Elections Mean for Feminists? GSG answers

By Sanya Dhingra, theviewspaper.net

The election results have come out, and it is amply clear that this election has created history. As a feminist disillusioned with an absolute neglect of the gender issue in Indian politics, for me, the most positive aspect about the 2015 Delhi elections was the emphatic assertion of the women’s issues as an integral part of the election campaigns of all the three major parties. Women were considered a vote bank that needed to be appealed to, and to my mind, that is a massive achievement in itself for Indian politics.

We got in touch with the Delhi University’s Gender Studies Group and asked its members what they feel about how the issue of gender was dealt with in these elections, and this is what they had to say:

University lacks proper anti-sexual harassment laws: Delhi University’s Gender Studies Group

New Delhi, Jun 28 (PTI):

Even as the St Stephen’s college has been rocked by an alleged incident of molestation of a research scholar by a professor, DU’s Gender Studies group has claimed the university does not have proper rules in place to deal with complaints of such nature.

The Gender Studies Group (GSG) is an independent, non-funded, university-wide students group which was established in the 1990s.

Teachers from various departments act as mentors to the group which takes up various surveys, campaigns and sensitisation programmes on gender issues.

In the wake of the molestation row, GSG has launched a campaign demanding revision of the existing anti-sexual harassment rules and regulations at Delhi University.

New anti-harassment law leaves DU’s sexual minorities vulnerable

By Shreya Roy Chowdhury,  Times of India, Apr 1, 2015, 11.18AM IST

NEW DELHI: With the Ordinance XV-D on sexual harassment gone, sexual minorities in Delhi University have had to take a ” regressive step”. Now replaced by the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, Ordinance XV-D had been, by all accounts, balanced, thorough and, perhaps most importantly, gender-neutral. Without it, the campus’ gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender students – and even boys – will have to combat sexual harassment by invoking anti-ragging rules or the code of professional ethics. Sexual harassment of these students can’t be reported as just that; the policy, apparently, doesn’t acknowledge that they can be harassed too.

Rallying for the rights of LGBTs

By Archana Mishra, March 31, 2015, DHNS:

The faculty members, who helped frame the ordinance against sexual harassment in the Delhi University almost a decade ago, are a disappointed lot these days.

The replacement of Ordinance XV-D with the Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act by the University authorities has been a setback for sexual minorities like lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT) who are not counted under this Act.

Turning a blind eye towards DU students

By Archana Mishra, Feb 11, 2015, DHNS:

Delhi University was never left untouched by cases of sexual harassment. The 2007 B N Ray case of Ramjas College where the vice principal was accused of allegedly sexually harassing male students and the reported charges against principals of Ambedkar College and Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College (ARSD) for sexually harassing their junior officers in 2013, are just some examples that received wide coverage. Departments and colleges too receive complaints each year.

DU students, teachers to campaign against sexual harassment law. Last year, DU had scrapped its earlier sexual harassment policy Ordinance XV-D.

By Shikha Sharma | New Delhi | Published:February 10, 2015 3:48 am

Calling the current law dealing with issues of sexual harassment in Delhi University (DU) “weak, regressive and against students’ interest”, DU students and teachers announced a campaign to bring in tougher legislation to deal with such cases.

Last year, DU had scrapped its earlier sexual harassment policy (Ordinance XV-D) and brought in a new one in accordance with the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013.

GENDER STUDIES GROUP ORGANISES DU’S FIRST LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL

By Ishaan Gambhir, Sept 30, 2014, DU Beat

Gender Studies Group organises DU’s first Lesbian Film Festival

Using the medium of film, Gender Studies Group attempted to sensitize the youth of Delhi University by organising its first Lesbian Film Festival on 26-27 September at Lecture Hall, Faculty of Social Sciences.

Delhi University kicks off its first lesbian film festival

By HEENA KAUSAR PUBLISHED: 21:47 GMT, 26 September 2014

The first-ever lesbian film festival organised at Delhi University kicked off on Friday with around 100 people in attendance.

The two-day event has been organised by DU’s Gender Studies Group, an independent and non-funded student group “committed to reading, writing and thinking about gender.” 

With the novel film fest, the group is trying to raise awareness regarding women’s sexuality and marginalisation of lesbians.

Lesbian film festival starts in DU

TNN | Sep 26, 2014, 01.45 AM IST

NEW DELHI: A two-day lesbian film festival, which will also screen Deepa Mehta’s ‘Fire’, will be held at Delhi University from Friday.

Organized by DU’s Gender Studies Group, the films will be shown at the department of political science. Entry is free and open to all.