Que(e)rying India

var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-28102607-2']); _gaq.push(['_setDomainName', '.tumblr.com']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); This site is a collection of my observations and experiences that I as a gay Jamaicanadian man encountered while travelling in India and learning about the country's dynamic queer culture.

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© Warren Brown 2011 - IMG 0368 on Flickr.

PHOTO: November 5th, 2011 - Two men embrace while walking in Delhi, India. While this sight is not uncommon when travelling through the country, it is ironically still very taboo for homosexuals to display affection. Visiting gay men are cautioned against the same.

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CMI LGBT Travel 2 on Flickr.

PHOTO: November 28th, 2011 - A display at the 1st Asian Symposium on LGBT Tourism in Delhi, India. The conference was used to promote India to the LGBT market as a gay travel destination. I will be writing an article for the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada on this topic.

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VIDEO: This is an interview with Sridhar Rangayan, Director of Solaris Pictures in Mumbai, India. Sridhar is focused on creating films and media content that he refers to as "advotainment" with the benefit of enhancing the experience of the LGBT community in India. He discusses the change that he's seen related to his films as well as the importance of documenting Indian LGBT history through Project Bolo. Additional info on Solaris Pictures is available from www.solarispictures.com.

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Visit Original Link

AUDIO: A reflection on an experience that I had in Mumbai after participating in a gay coming out support group.

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Project Bolo

LINK: One of the projects that I’m quite excited about is Project Bolo, an online video collection of histories of Indian LGBT persons. Bolo, which means “speak up” in Hindi is an effective way of providing representation to LGBT persons in an environment where traditional media may overlook them.

You may visit the site here: http://www.projectbolo.com/

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Delhi Queer Pride Parade 2011, a set on Flickr.

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PHOTO: November 27, 2011 - Without a doubt, one of the more inspiring moments from the 2011 Delhi Queer Pride Parade.

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Homosexuality does not exist here

Nitish (name changed), Tour Guide - when asked about the topic after sighting a Hijra

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Introducing This Study

Like many developing countries, homosexuality tends to be a controversial (if not taboo) topic in Indian society. In 2009, the Delhi High Court decriminalized homosexuality, which has helped to open the closet doors to a more visible gay culture. Despite the decriminalization of homosexuality, it doesn’t mean that prejudice towards the issue is eliminated. “Family and employment law, for example, may continue to discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation” (Misra, 2009, p 2.5).

The law, Section 377 had been in effect since 1860. This history and active criminalisation of homosexual acts in India has “meant that those practising them have had to remain at the margins of society, their sexual preferences and activities kept secret from families, communities and the authorities, for fear of blackmail or prosecution” (Mistra, 2009, p. 21).

In the gay themed short film “You Can’t Curry Love”, one of the characters reflects on the views of queer culture in India and comments that “it is difficult in a society where no one is openly gay…so people do not get to see any examples in their day to day lives to counteract their preconceived notions” (Waterer, 2009).

Bombay Dost, India’s first LGBT magazine has the objective of shattering the stereotypes of homosexuality by providing content and representation for “a much larger demographic than the urban homosexual [Indian] man” (Bombay Dost, 2011, para. 8). The magazine posits that they are “a standard bearer for the growing confidence and alacrity displayed by India’s homosexuals” (Bombay Dost, 2011, para. 7).

It is important to note though that Bombay Dost is not the only representation for the queer community in India:

The Indian media, both print and audio-visual, have been vocal on the issues for at least two decades, and several Indians have been writing significant fiction and non-fiction that has led to the release of many books and other publications exploring the importance of understanding sexuality as a basic human right. (Misra, 2009, p. 24)

The immediate question to be asked from this relates to what is contributing to the gap between representation and acceptance?

In building on my learning and research through the Royal Roads MAIIC program, my long-term objective is to work with organizations in developing communication and awareness campaigns for sexual minorities. During my journey in India, I will be documenting observations and encounters with queer culture to better understand what and how representation takes place. I intend to seek opportunities to have discussions to better understand the issues and experience the environment first-hand. More specifically, questions and themes to be explored include: What media and content is available? How are queer social spaces (if any) organized?

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PHOTO: November 27th, 2011 - A policeman and his friend walk together beside the 4th Annual Delhi Queer Pride Parade.

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PHOTO: November 28th, 2011 - While attending the 1st Asia Symposium on LGBT Tourism, I met and took the opportunity to quickly interview Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil on his decision to come out, the challenges he's faced and his focus to better the experience of LGBT individuals in India. My short interview will follow.  He is the first royal in modern india to reveal that he is gay. More info from the below link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manvendra_Singh_Gohil