The case for a queer history month

In a conversation with Lounge just days before the Supreme Court decided it could not legalise gay marriages, Kannada writer Vasudhendra, 54, who has been open about his homosexuality over the last decade especially, recalled that growing up he did not even know the word “gay”. Without a history and therefore without a memory, we as a community are rootless, alienated and disempowered.” Recalling this, Sharif D. Rangnekar, author of Queersapien and Straight To Normal: My Life As A Gay Man, says that to reclaim this space, the idea of a concerted effort at a History Month will help “create more platforms where these lives can be shared”. “Even if the verdict was in our favour, a celebration of Indian queer history is something we should be looking into,” says Sakshi Juneja, founder of Gaysi Family, a media platform for desi queer folks. Many countries mark an LGBTQ+ History Month, separate from a Pride Month, to commemorate queer icons, provide a sense of confidence and belonging to the community, and build awareness. “It’s now more important to re-establish what LGBTQ+ people have endured through history, and the fact that they have actually even existed in the first place,” says Ayushmaan.