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Writings of other lives

A collection of writings on sexuality brings into public sphere literature by non-heterosexuals

PERSPECTIVEBecause I have a Voice, Queer Politics in India offers an understanding of what everyday life is like for the non-heterosexuals and their struggles

If you aren't heterosexual, life can be hell. The battle is to live and to live normally. The larger battle will come only later — to persuade people that it is only another kind of sexual orientation and desire. In all probability, if one is gay, lesbian, hijra, kothi, bi-sexual, transgender, one will spend most part of one's life seeking acceptance. Even if there is, it often will be tolerance. Who would like to live life only being tolerated?

A new book that has hit the stands, Because I have a Voice, Queer Politics in India offers an understanding of what this violence is, what everyday life is like for the non-heterosexual and where the struggle of the non-heterosexual for a good life is headed in India. What makes the book hard-hitting is people who are not heterosexual have themselves written about their lives.

The book edited by Arvind Narrain and Gautam Bhan was released here last week in the course of a discussion on sexuality at the Centre for Education and Documentation. The discussion raised two important issues: What is the context in which this book comes and what about sexuality is it responding to? Secondly, what is meant by a term queer? To whom is the reference and whether it can be sued across different cultures, societies and countries?In Arvind's view, the book is responding to two issues affecting the sexuality movement in India. One, the sexuality movement and literature from the late eighties, he says, has largely focussed on experiences, interests and rights of gays, lesbians, bi-sexuals and transgenders (GLBT). But campaigns on HIV/AIDS and female sex workers a little later have brought to light two other sexuality groups, the hijras and kothis who are not easily classifiable as GLBT. The movement has had to recognise this. Two, emerging activism in the last few years has prompted focus on the new groups, the hijras and kothis. There has been more writing in the media, more films, a strong movement against section 377 and support from the World Social Forum. "The book makes a significant shift in trying to talk about hijras and kothis. It tries to capture this diverse expression of the sexuality movement that is not any more restricted to urban middle and upper middle class gays and lesbians," says Arvind.The second issue the book is responding to is to the term and movement, queer. Queer, first used in the West to describe non-heterosexual people, has been used to accommodate the diverse expression of the sexuality movement in India. "We have learnt it is not enough to talk about lesbians, gays, bi-sexuals and transgender. Where is the space for people outside this group? The hijras and kothis are a complex sexuality. Queer is any politics, identity and group that asserts itself against heterosexuality, monogamy, marriage and family. It includes and goes beyond GLBT," says Arvind. He also adds that queer is far more radical. It also refers to, for instance, single women who would not want to marry and prefer to live alone. "Where will they fit in? The term queer accommodates a wide range of people, identities, politics not simply heterosexual and that which questions the heterosexual."

Lata Mani, Cultural Critic, who made a presentation on sexuality, sees the book's contribution in its recognition of sexual identities beyond gays, bio-sexuals, lesbians and transgenders. Therefore, she appreciates it for the space it gives for non-heterosexual people to record/write their experiences. She expressed apprehension over the use of the term queer, which, she said, had specific western meanings and referred to specific groups in the west. Would the meaning of queer reach people here? Would it carry pejorative connotations? Would it hide and disguise something? Would it leave out groups like the Jogappas of North Karnataka? Arvind agrees that her concerns are more than legitimate. The term, he says, has been retained only because there was no other term yet to cover the range of groups and sexual identities they were trying to understand.

Participants in the discussion raised one other issue: that the experiences of the non heterosexual be recorded not only in English, but in regional languages as well to make it accessible to a wide range of people. The book recognises that.

PRASHANTH G.N.

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