The Hindu
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/article3533644.eceIt may take a few minutes for the name Santhi Soundarajan to ring a bell in many minds. The athlete lost her 2006 Asian Games silver medal after failing a gender test which reported that "she did not have female characteristics." A film 'Y can't I run' screened at the Chennai Queer Film Festival traces her frustration and the seclusion she went through after the disclosure. "They consider me a cheat. But I still maintain that I am a woman. A gender test cannot take that away from me," she says in the short film.
Several such films that highlight the concerns of sexual minorities will be screened as part of the festival that marks the launch of gay pride month in the city. The film festival is being held at the Goethe Institut in the city. Orinam, that provides online and offline space for the LGBT community, and Chennai Dost, are among its organisers.
"The 3-day film festival is called 'colours of sexuality' because there are varied hues of sexuality that people don't know about. It is not just about gays and lesbians, but many more, for instance bisexuals, transgenders, female-to-male transgenders, and many more," says Dev, director, Chennai Dost.
