Fashion’s got a pin-up cause
Fashion is just not about great looking clothes any longer. It’s also about supporting a cause. And wearing a simple safety pin on your clothes to show support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community is the newest fashion fad in the US, which is now catching up in India too.
The campaign, #safetypin took off in the US after Donald J. Trump was elected as the President of USA earlier this month. Trump is known to be anti-LGBT and with his election, the fear among that community has apparently grown. The campaign, that is a big hit on social media, is seeing people across USA attaching safety pins on their clothing as a gesture of allyship with people of colour, immigrants, and members of the LGBT community.
Last week, Hollywood gay actor Patrick Stewart, posted his picture on Twitter wearing a pin on his jacket. Back home, the LGBT community in India is also showing solidarity towards the cause. “I wholeheartedly support the idea. We are going to wear an oversized safety pin with a tag that says, ‘No 377’,” says LGBT activist Ashok Row Kavi. LGBT activist Shashi Bhushan agrees. “We are wearing safety pins to lend support to the community. It’s important for the LGBT communities across the world to unite and fight for their rights,” he says.
LGBT activist Laxmi Tripathi also gives a thumbs up to the idea. “We are one big community, no matter which part of the world we live in, its time to take a stand against oppression,” she says.
I wholeheartedly support the idea. We are going to wear an oversized safety pin with a tag that says, ‘No 377’ ASHOK ROW KAVI, LGBT ACTIVIST Fashion is not confined to glamour. I urge all forward thinking people to join our cause and wear safety pins RUDRANI CHETTRI CHAUHAN, TRANSGENDER ACTIVIST