The 1984 Madurai Medical College (MMC) alumni arranged an awareness session on LGBTQIA called “Unlocking Understanding: An Update on LGBTQIA,” but college administrators called it off in the middle. The purpose of the event was to raise awareness of LGBTQIA concerns in the medical industry and to offer insights into current trends in inclusivity. Final-year students attended, and it was hosted in the MMC for medical graduates’ new academic building in Madurai.
One of the invited speakers, Azhaga Jagan, founder of the Aniyam Foundation, stated that the purpose of the event was to teach pupils about LGBTQ+ issues. One month prior to the event, program posters had been up. However, an MMC representative interrupted and requested that the session be halted just as an LGBTQ activist was ready to speak. Transgender people were also barred from entering the location by college administrators, who also urged the final-year students in attendance to leave.
Social activist Anand Raj voiced his disappointment at the event’s sudden cancellation, pointing out that comparable awareness campaigns had been held successfully in Madurai’s science and arts colleges. He stressed that the program’s sole goal was to raise awareness, and he expressed his disappointment that students who had voluntarily registered for it would not be able to take part.
The 1984 alumni batch’s organizing secretary, Dr. Xavier Selva Suresh, clarified that alumni associations frequently plan monthly events at MMC and that Dr. Rathinavel, the former dean of Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH), had given his approval for this year’s event. The hall rental was pre-paid, and the location was reserved. Drs. T. Rajasundari and R.M. Sathish Kumar spoke on LGBTQ problems at the occasion, and then officials abruptly ended the session.
Dr. Suresh expressed his dissatisfaction with the state of affairs, bemoaning the fact that even medical officers do not appear to completely comprehend or value the issues that the LGBTQIA community faces. The event’s cancellation brought to light the ongoing difficulties LGBTQIA people have getting acceptance and respect, particularly in medical settings that ought to be at the forefront of inclusivity and understanding. This incidence highlights the significance of LGBTQIA education and activism in the medical industry to guarantee that aspiring medical professionals are knowledgeable about the issues and sensitive to the needs of all patients, irrespective of their gender or sexual orientation.
SOURCE :
INDIAN EXPRESS
