Because I Have a Voice
Queer Politics in India

'Arvind and Gautam's book weaves the threads of the LGBT movement together into a hard-nailed fist that punches hetero-normative India in its very belly... The knuckles in the book are two incredible essays by two women who tear into the construct called heterosexuality... a remarkable book that is a must for students of gender and sexual politics in India.' Ashok Row Kavi, Sunday Hindustan Times

'Passionate, considered, this anthology pushes at the hypocrisies of a society that turns love into something queer... it is a book to be read, re-read and passed on - not by people sympathetic to queer issues but by those who are not.' Mitali Saran, Tehelka

'It is a collective voice of reason that comes shining through, with its definitive and inclusive spirit of the human struggle for dignity and equality.' Mahesh Dattani, The Week

'This anthology expands the reach and scope, and illuminates the presence of queer politics in different spaces in India. What is most impressive, however, is that it confronts the unquestioned, "compulsory" nature of heterosexuality in India, in a language that is not restricted to the academic.' First City

To speak of sexuality, and of same-sex love in particular, in India today is simultaneously an act of political assertion, celebration, defiance and fear. Indeed, in times when the issue of queer sexuality is beginning to find more space in popular representation, as seen in recent Bollywood films and the mainstream media, this groundbreaking collection of writings states boldly and clearly that queer lives and politics are inextricably linked with each other. The words of this anthology are those of the queer community itself, spoken in their own voice, as one and yet as individuals, each of whom has a story to tell, and a view to share.

In giving voice to a concept, an identity and a politics that is only now, and slowly at that, beginning to enter the consciousness of the nation, the two editors of the anthology and its twenty-seven contributors discuss the queer mo(ve)ment in terms of its definition and composition; the legal challenges which face the community, particularly the activism against Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code; queer protests and demonstrations which have played a strong role in building wider public consciousness about the issue; a burgeoning queer culture; and the everyday lives of queer people which become in themselves creative sites of resistance. The volume is divided into three parts. The first attempts to place the diverse sexuality-related struggles within a conceptual framework; the second narrates untold stories of activism, and critically reflects on the directions of the Indian queer movement; and the last, and perhaps the most critical, records the personal journeys of queer lives which articulate what it means to live a life on the margins of institutions such as marriage, monogamy and family. This volume is in many ways an unprecedented effort, as the voice of a community that refuses to be silenced, and the words on these pages are, perhaps, the beginning of its own moment of assertion.

Arvind Narrain graduated from the National Law School of India University, and did his LLM from Warwick University. He is the author of Queer: Despised Sexuality, Law and Social Change. He is currently working as a part of a collective of lawyers at the Alternative Law Forum based in Bangalore, a young group working on a critical practice of law.

Gautam Bhan is a queer rights activist and writer based in New Delhi who writes extensively on queer issues and social movements. He is a member of PRISM, Voices against Section 377, and the Nigah Media Collective.

 

ISBN	819022722
ISBN13	9788190227223
Publisher	Yoda Press
Format	Paperback
Publication date	30/10/2006
Pages	288
Weight (grammes)	670.00
Published in	India
Height (mm)
Width (mm)

Arvind Narrain graduated from the National Law School of India University, and did his LLM from Warwick University. He is the author of Queer: Despised Sexuality, Law and Social Change. He is currently working as a part of a collective of lawyers at the Alternative Law Forum based in Bangalore, a young group working on a critical practice of law. Gautam Bhan is a queer rights activist and writer based in New Delhi who writes extensively on queer issues and social movements. He is a member of PRISM, Voices against Section 377, and the Nigah Media Collective.