In this episode of Pride & Prejudice, host Suryatapa Mukherjee spoke to Patruni Chidananda Sastry about bisexuality. Patruni is a bisexual, trans non-binary drag artist based in Hyderabad. A 2019 study published in the Australian Journal of General Practice found that 77.6 percent of bisexuals had contemplated suicide as compared to 11.7 percent of the general population. According to Pew Research Center, 19% of bisexuals are out compared to 75% of gays and lesbians. We explore the factors both within and outside the queer community that lead to poor mental and physical health of bisexual people. Here, we are using bisexuality as an umbrella term for all sexualities that involve being attracted to more than one gender. Biphobia is Killing Bisexual People. Literally.Bisexual people react to misconceptions about Bisexuality Rangula Rattnam | Queer Telugu TalksBisexual adults are far less likely than gay men and lesbians to be 'out' to the people in their livesPhysical Health Disparities Across Dimensions of Sexual Orientation, Race/Ethnicity, and Sex: Evidence for Increased Risk Among Bisexual Adults | SpringerLinkStudy: Bisexual men 'most at risk' from sexually transmitted infections | PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news(PDF) Why Us? Toward an Understanding of Bisexual Women's Vulnerability for and Negative Consequences of Sexual ViolenceBisexuality and health: The cost of invisibilityBisexual-Specific Minority Stressors, Psychological Distress, and Suicidality in Bisexual Individuals: the Mediating Role of Loneliness | SpringerLink     Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Among Lesbian, Bisexual, and Heterosexual Women: Findings From the Nurses’ Health Study IIPrejudice, Social Stress, and Mental Health in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Populations: Conceptual Issues and Research Evidence - PMCThe National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2010 Findings on Victimization by Sexual Orientation See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

MasculiniTea: kuch mardani gupshup is a podcast by trans men about masculinity. Trans masculine people of various backgrounds have gone on the podcast to talk about parenthood, fashion, workplace, sexuality and a range of other topics. In this episode of Pride and Prejudice, host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Vihaan, the founder and host of MasculiniTea: kuch mardani gupshup.  MasculiniTea: Kuch Mardani Gupshup | Podcast on Spotify See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

In the Union Budget 2023, 6 crore rupees were allocated to the SMILE program of the Ministry of Social Justice and Equality. Under this program, the government works for the transgender community in our country. The most well-known initiative under the SMILE program is perhaps Garima Greh, with 12 shelter homes in 9 states. However, two of the Garima Grehas in Kolkata and Delhi that we spoke to say they haven’t had funding for a year and are struggling to survive.  In this episode of Pride and Prejudice, reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Avinaba, a public policy researcher, about the hits and misses of the Union Budget 2023. STATEMENT 13 GENDER BUDGET MINISTRY/DEPARTMENT 2022-2023 BudgetSupport for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise (SMILE) GUIDELINESNational Portal For Transgender Persons Union Budget 2023: Transgender persons remain an afterthought in India – The Leaflet PM Daksh | NBCFDC No proposal to bring quota for transgender persons: Government in LS - The Hindu. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

Happy Valentine’s Day! In this episode of Pride and Prejudice, host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Nu, founder of Revival Disability India, a collective and magazine for and by disabled queer folk. They speak about their campaign Cripplentines which celebrates all kinds of love in the lives of queer, disabled people. It reclaims the term ‘cripple’, historically used to insult and oppress disabled folk. Please find the transcript on our website for this episode.See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

This is part three of our miniseries, Queering Language, where we are looking at the relationship between queerness and language. In this episode of Pride and Prejudice, host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Nuzhat and Prakash who are co-founders of Xomonnoy, an LGBTQ+ organisation based in Guwahati, Assam. They have recently released a queer short story collection in Assamese and a glossary of LGBTQ+ terms in Assamese. We explore the history of queerness in Assamese literature, the nuances of finding Assamese words for queer experiences, and why it is important to find queerness in our mother tongue. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

This is part two of a miniseries we are doing, Queering Language. In this series, we are looking at the relationship between queerness and language. In this episode, host Suryatapa Mukherjee spoke to Chittajit Mitra, a queer activist who is a writer and translator working with Hindi, English and Urdu texts. They explore the oft-ignored queerness in old literature, new developments in recent years, the interesting work of translating queerness, and most importantly how the fight for queer rights influences queer literature. Pride and Prejudice: Reading ‘Same Sex Love In India’ as historian Saleem Kidwai passes Pride and Prejudice: Tracing the queer roots of Qawwali Suryakant Tripathi ‘Nirala’ Kullibath The Truth about Me: A Hijra Life Hijra, Me Laxmi by Rao R. RajaFull text of "Lihaaf [ The Quilt] Ismat Chughtai"NCERT Removes Teacher-Training Manual on Transgender-Inclusive School Education After BacklashBombay HC asks state govt to clarify its stand on job reservation for transgenders at MSETCL | The Indian ExpressWest Bengal: Transgenders to be able to apply for govt jobs under general category - The Economic Times[Same-sex marriage case in Delhi High Court] Central government opposes live-streaming; says proceedings could evoke sharp reactionsGopi Shankar resigns from National Council for Transgender Persons - The HinduLGBTQI+ Activist Gopi Shankar Madurai Brutally Attacked in Delhi, Friends Say 'Not the First Time' Delhi: Group of transgenders clashes with police, charges fly from both sides | Delhi News - Times of IndiaSee sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

This is part one of a miniseries Queering Language in Pride and Prejudice, where we explore the relationship between queerness and language. For this episode, host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Raina, a trans activist in Kolkata, about Ulti, a secret language of trans communities originating in hijra culture. Raina is the founder of Samabhabana, an NGO for trans people and Amra Odbhut, a queer cafe in Kolkata.  The secret language of South Asia’s transgender community  The Secret Language of the Hijras  https://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/queer-language/article5407840.ece See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

In the last episode of Pride and Prejudice, we explored how trans actors struggle to find opportunities in Bollywood. So, in this episode, host Suryatapa Mukherjee spoke to trans filmmakers Varsha and Asawari, who started their own production studio, Star Hopper. We explore what it’s like for queer-trans people behind the camera in the industry and how marginalised artists can create opportunities for themselves. In this conversation, we also found out that one of the trans actors we spoke to in the previous episode is now making a film with Star Hopper! Tune in to find out more. Star Hopper (@starhopperstudios) • Instagram photos and videos Foregrounding women’s sensibilities: Fatma Begum, India's first woman filmmaker See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

In recent years, with increasing queer acceptance, we have seen more sensitive portrayals of transgender people in films and TV shows. But in Sacred Games, Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, Gangubai Kathiawadi and the upcoming web series Taali, it is cis people playing these trans roles. In this episode of Pride and Prejudice, reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to actors Nandini Sabban and Rudrani Chhetri. Nandini plays one of the characters on Taali where Sushmita Sen stars as Gauri Sawant. Rudrani Chhetri played a trans character in Vikas Khanna’s film The Last Colour. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

We have just had the International Coming Out day on October 11th. When queer people are out about our sexuality and gender, the first question we usually get is, do our parents know? Sweekar: The Rainbow Parents is an organisation that is making this dream come true for many. It is a group of parents of queer children who accept their own and also work to change the minds of other parents rejecting their queer children.  In this episode of Pride & Prejudice, host Suryatapa Mukherjee spoke to Aruna Desai and Atul Kumar from Sweekar. Aruna Desai is the founder of the organisation, and she is also the HR head of a manufacturing company in Mumbai. Her son came out to her as gay 15 years ago as a teenager. Atul Kumar is a physics teacher who mentors IIT-JEE and NEET aspirants in Delhi. He is the father of a transgender woman who came out to him four years ago. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

It has been 3 years since the Supreme Court read down section 377 and 75 years since Indian independence. So, let’s see how free queer people are when it comes to finding a home. In this episode of Pride and Prejudice, our reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee spoke to Raju Behara, Ritushree Panigrahi and Kushal Roy. They speak about their struggles with finding a safe accommodation where they can truly be themselves, and also the transformational joy that finding a home can bring. Raju is a non-binary person and they write for a Pharma company. They also work as a peer support provider with Safe Access and as an independent researcher with the Queer Judgements Project. Ritushree is a trans woman who co-founded the Outcast Collective, a Diversity and Inclusion consulting firm, and she is also a stand-up comedian. Kushal, a cis gay man, is an award-winning mental health advocate, an LGBTQ+ activist and he works a corporate day job.  Kochi Metro's sad track record of keeping promise of dignity to transpersons Living with Dignity: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity-Based Human Rights Violations in Housing, Work, and Public Spaces in India Is ‘unity in diversity’ a farce when it comes to housing in India? – The LeafletKushal’s tweets See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

In this episode of Pride & Prejudice, we are looking at Queer Affirmative Counselling Practices or QACP. QACP goes beyond mere acceptance of queerness in people going for therapy. It is about questioning existing therapy practices through a queer lens and expanding the possibilities of how therapy can serve a queer client.  Our reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee spoke to Shruti Chakravarty, the Chief Advisor at Mariwala Health Initiative and faculty of their QACP training course. She also spoke to co-founders of Guftagu Therapy Aryan Somaiya and Sadaf Vidha who practice Queer Affirmative Counselling. We look at how this approach helps those who go to queer-affirmative therapists, how QACP came about in the first place and its limitations.  References: The Queer Affirmative Counselling Practice (QACP), Mariwala Health InitiativeGuftagu Counseling and Psychotherapy Services  Training for healthcare students and professionals | TheMindClan.com x Guftagu TherapySee sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

The World Health Organisation defines gender incongruence as a marked and persistent inconguence between an individual’s experienced gender and the assigned sex. One of the ways to alleviate gender incongruence is through gender affirmative care. It can include a single or a combination of social, psychological or medical interventions. The medical interventions could include hormone replacement therapy, or surgeries. These medical interventions are very expensive, and often out of reach for transgender persons. This May, the Maharashtra government announced that gender affirmative surgeries for transgender persons will be provided free of cost in government faciltiies. Maharashtra is one of the many states including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Rajasthan among others to announce schemes for medical facilities of transgender persons. In this episode, Cherish Mundhra spoke to Maya Awasthi, and her colleague Sara Ranthambe to understand the various barriers faced by the community in accessing these medical interventions. Both are from Tweet foundation that works with transgender persons.  References Transgender Indians Continue To Face Multiple Barriers To Gender Affirmation SurgeryGender incongruence and transgender health in the ICDStandards of CareNational Legal Ser.Auth vs Union Of India & Ors on 15 April, 2014THE TRANSGENDER people (PROTECTION OF RIGHTS) ACT, 2019 ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONSShould Gender Reassignment Surgery be Publicly Funded? - PMCDRAFT ODISHA STATE TRANSGENDER people POLICY 2021National Portal For Transgender peopleHow Kerala is A Long Way Off In Gender Affirmative Healthcare For Trans people - BehanBoxAnother transgender person dies by suicide in Kochi, fourth such case this yearSuicide and Suicidal Behaviour among Transgender people - PMCSee sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

Samuho is a queer-feminist theatre troupe based in Kolkata. After watching their play Atho Hidimba Kotha, Pride and Prejudice host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to its members. Samuho’s plays are written from the perspective of the marginalised, with an anti-casteist, feminist and queer lens. This particular play tells the story of Hidimba, Bheem’s ‘demon’ wife in Mahabharata. In their performance, the cast made of women and non-binary actors play characters irrespective of gender.  In this episode, we hear from Titas Dutta, founder-member and director who plays Hidimba; Nabadeepa Ghosh, founder-member who plays Bheem; Sudakshina Chowdhury, founder-member who plays Kunti; and Adrij Basu who has recently joined the group.  Adityanath's 2014 Article Equating Women With Demons Comes Back to Haunt Him | The WireMake Your Own Neutral Mask | Jacques Lecoq See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

In this episode of Pride and Prejudice, hosts Menaka Rao and Suryatapa Mukherjee discuss how the certainty of male-female binary affects the way science is done, with Sayantan Datta. Sayantan is a queer-trans science journalist and communicator who writes for a feminist multimedia science collective, Life of Science. They also teach writing and communication at Krea University, in Andhra Pradesh.This episode was originally published on another Suno India show, Science & Us, as one of a two-part series on how gendered understanding of science affects the way research is conducted. This episode is being republished for Pride and Prejudice. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

In this episode of Pride and Prejudice, host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to screenwriter Suman Adhikary who co-wrote Badhaai Do with Akshat Ghildial and director Harshavardhan Kulkarni. They explore how the characters came to life, what were the thoughts behind the scenes and how to make LGBTQ+ films relatable.  This is a follow-up on our previous episode where the host watches and reacts to the film with a fellow queer person as they wondered what went on behind the scenes. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

Join us in this episode of Pride and Prejudice, as host Suryatapa Mukherjee watches Badhaai Do with Nikhil. Nikhil is doing their PhD in German Cinema at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi.  Since reading down of IPC Sec 377 in 2018, there has been at least one big-budget LGBTQ+ Bollywood film released each year. But do these films actually represent us? Let’s find out how the latest, Badhaai Do fares. This episode has spoilers so we would recommend watching the film first. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

A class 10 student of a Greater Faridabad private school died by suicide on 24th February. In his suicide note he wrote that his school was responsible for his death. His mother said that he was sexually harrassed by other students over his sexuality, while he struggled with studies due to dyslexia. Instead of helping him, his mother alleges that school authorities harassed him for complaining. The principal was arrested and has been granted bail by the court since, while investigations continue.  On this episode of Pride and Prejudice, host Suryatapa Mukherjee spoke to Shivakumar and Tejaswi. Shivakumar is the co-founder of Nestam, an LGBTQ+ support group in Visakhapatnam which conducts workshops in schools to make them a safe space. Tejaswi is a digital editor at Gaysi Family and they are neurodivergent like the boy who died. They share their experiences with bullying, the role of teachers and the solutions we need to pursue. School student's suicide in Faridabad: SIT formed to probe case | Indian ExpressAn Exploratory Study of Discriminations based on Non-Normative Genders and Sexualities | TISS, 2019Inclusion of Transgender Children in School Education | NCERT ManualHow a Trans-Inclusive Manual for School Teachers Turned Controversial in India | Autostraddle See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

For this month of love, we are bringing you a two-part Valentine’s Special miniseries where host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to queer couples about their journey. In this episode of Pride and Prejudice, we hear from Diya and Diban Mondol who grew up in the same Kolkata neighbourhood and ran away together after falling in love. Diban is a trans man and Diya is a cis woman. They talk about crashing with trans people they never met before, finding queer community in Jadavpur, and building a home in the city with no family support. See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

For this month of love, we are bringing you a two-part Valentine’s Special miniseries where host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to queer couples about their journey. In this episode of Pride and Prejudice, we hear from Dr Zahid Shafi Ansari and Ranjan Koul, a gay couple in their 50’s living in Delhi with their six cats. Ranjan is a Kashmiri Pandit who grew up in the Valley while Zahid grew up in Saudi Arabia. This is a story of what it was like to be gay in the 80’s, the queer icons they looked up to, the history they witnessed before their eyes. And of course, it’s a story about finding love and peace.  Show notes: Reading 'Same Sex Love In India' as historian Saleem Kidwai passes | Pride and Prejudice Furore over a film - Frontline’s 1998 article on Shiv Sena’s campaign against ‘Fire’ See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

Garima Greh is the Central government’s pilot program for trans people. In collaboration with Community Based Organisations (CBOs), the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has opened thirteen Garima Greh shelters across the country. Trans people can stay at a Garima Greh shelter for up to a year, during which they undergo studies and training so they can get a work placement at the end of their stay.  In this episode of Pride & Prejudice, reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee and contributing editor Menaka Rao visit Kolkata’s Gokhale Road Bandhan and Delhi’s Mitr Trust, to find out how the Garima Greh scheme is run and how its policies affect residents. This is part of a two-part series on Garima Greh. In our previous episode, you can find out how this new scheme has given some trans people a second chance at life.  Show notes: Extend Garima Greh scheme to entire LGBTQIA+ community: HC - The Hindu Many refusals later, finally a safe home for trans people | Kolkata News - Times of India GUIDELINES FOR GARIMA GREH See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

Transgender persons are often on the run or are forced out of home. They are often unable to get stable formal jobs. The Garima Greh programme run by the Government of India under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment wants to change the circumstances for transgender persons.  Suno India’s Menaka Rao and Suryatapa Mukherjee went to two shelter homes, one in Delhi run by Mitr Trust and one in Kolkata called Bandhan to report on the programme. This is a two-part series. This episode will focus on the stories of people who have ended up in the Garima Greh Programme and their aspirations. Show notes: GUIDELINES FOR GARIMA GREHNational Portal For Transgender PersonsSee sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

On this musical episode of Pride and Prejudice, reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to musician Ruhan Ali. Despite their popularity online, Ruhan says they are shunned from Qawwali spaces for being queer.  Qawwali is Sufi Islamic devotional music. As we discuss the discrimination in such spaces right now, we also go back in time to trace the queer roots of Qawwali and Sufi culture in India with the book 'Same-Sex Love In India: Readings from Literature and History.'  You will hear several of Ruhaan’s songs, Qawwali and others, on this episode. Tune in!  Show notes Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Main To Piya Se Naina | Kalam Hazrat Ameer KhusroShree Dheeraj Bawra - Main To Piya Se Naina Laga Aayi ReSee sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

On the third anniversary of decriminalisation of same sex relations on 6 September, Axis Bank announced new policies for employees and customers from the LGBTQIA+ community. This included a provision for queer couples to open a joint account. But when Anisha Sharma and Bhakti Chachada went to do just that almost two months later, nobody at the bank knew what they were talking about.  Around that same time, Dabur released a Karwa Chauth ad for their Fem Gold bleach cream featuring two women fasting for each other. It was ultimately taken down after objections from Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra. But the queer community was not happy with the advertisement either. On this episode of Pride & Prejudice, reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Anisha, Bhakti, and Gaysi Family editor Tejaswi, to find out how brands get things wrong when marketing to the queer community. Tune in.  Show notes: The Lure Of The Pink Rupee | Forbes Axis Bank’s Harish Iyer speaks to journalist Faye DSouzaTransphobic show provokes protest, Netflix employees storm out of office | WION NewsSpotify CEO Defends Keeping Transphobic Joe Rogan Podcasts Online | Vice  See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

The Centre has moved a Cabinet note to include transgender persons in the central list of Other Backward Classes or OBCs. This is so that trans people can access the 27% reservation for OBCs in educational institutions and government jobs.  But trans people have been protesting this move and demanding horizontal reservation, across different caste categories. On this episode of Pride and Prejudice, host Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks with Dalit transgender activist Grace Banu to understand what horizontal reservation is and how it would benefit transgender people. Grace Banu is the founder of Trans Rights Now Collective and India’s first openly transgender engineer.  For the full picture of our reservation policy, please listen to The Suno India Show episodes, OBC Bill: A history of reservation and how we got here and Caste Census: Why it stopped and why it must start again. Additional reading: Grace Banu Ganesan v. State of Tamil Nadu Global Freedom of Expression | NALSA Judgment: Critique of the Indian Perspective Beyond the Adams-And-Eves WorldviewGrace Banu on Discrimination in Workplaces & Universities | India Culture Lab Transgender population 2011 censusTHE TRANSGENDER PERSONS (PROTECTION OF RIGHTS) ACT, 2019 See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

Queer historian Saleem Kidwai passed away on 30th August, a week before the anniversary of Sec 377 being read down on 6th September. On this episode of Pride & Prejudice, our reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Arif Zafar, an activist with the Naz Foundation International, about his passing.  On one hand, Arif is mourning Saleem’s loss, his friend since the 80s. On the other hand, he is celebrating decriminalisation as he was jailed under sec 377 in 2001. The legal battle by the Naz Foundation was a result of this arrest.  We read Saleem’s magnum opus with Ruth Vanita, ‘Same-Sex Love in India: Readings from Literature and History’ which was presented as evidence in the case against sec 377. We also reflect on his lesser-known contributions to the community, as well as Saleem’s own arrest in Canada at a gay bar in 1977 in a massive state crackdown.  Additional reading: Project Bolo - Saleem Kidwai Aliens In Lucknow THE NIGHT CONRAD BLACK VISITED MONTREAL GAY LEATHER BAR TRUXX Pride and Prejudice - How HIV intervention is failing LGBTQ youth Sarapa | Abida Parveen | Official Music Video | Sufiscore See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

In 1998, India had its first intersex MLA, Shabnam Bano. In 1999, we had our first transgender mayor, Kamla Jaan but she was ousted from her post by the courts as it was reserved for women. In 2020, India’s first LGBT cell was started by the Nationalist Congress Party. It is headed by Priya Patil, a trans woman.  In this episode of Pride & Prejudice, host Suryatapa Mukherjee explores the growth of Queer politics in India, in conversation with Priya Patil. Priya joined the NCP in 2019. She had earlier contested civic body elections in Mumbai.  Pride & Prejudice is our series on all things LGBTQIA. LGBTQIA stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual. We use ‘Queer’ as an umbrella term for all these identities. Additional reading: India's Had More Transgender Mayors Than We Originally Thought See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

Queer sexualities have been decriminalised and Pride parades are ceremoniously covered by the news media. But can everyone really march with pride? In this episode of Pride & Prejudice, we trace the evolution of Pride from Stonewall Riots in the United States, to NRC-CAA protests in India. Our reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Pride organisers from Visakhapatnam, Guwahati, Hyderabad and Kolkata.  Shivakumar is the co-founder of Nestam and has been trying to organise Pride in Visakhapatnam for years. Nuzhat Nasreen Islam is the co-founder of Xomonnoy and she organises Pride in Guwahati. Rudra Kishore Mandal was part of the organising meeting for the first ever Pride walk in India which happened in Kolkata in 1999, and they still organise Pride in Kolkata. Dr. Karthik Bittu has helped organise Pride in various cities like Hyderabad, Bangalore and Delhi.  They speak about their experiences with the police, differences in politics within the community and what Pride really is about.  Additional reading: Mumbai Pride: Over 50 People Charged With Sedition for Slogans Supporting Sharjeel ImamAssam NRC: What next for 1.9 million ‘stateless’ Indians?Citizenship Rights are LGBTQ rights: Thousands gather for Mumbai PrideSylvia Rivera’s “Y’all Better Quiet Down" Speech 1973See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

Two years since the abrogation of article 370, the Indian government is making moves to hold elections in the union territories of J&K and Ladakh. But in a region known for conflict, what is it like to be queer? Dr Aijaz says that not only is it difficult to build safe spaces for queer people in Kashmir, access to these spaces are impeded by curfews, communication blackouts and violence.  In this episode of ‘Pride & Prejudice,’ our reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to Dr Aijaz, the founder of Sonzal Welfare Trust. Sonzal is an NGO for LGBTQIA+ people in Kashmir that provides a range of legal support, mental health programs, crisis intervention and vocational training. Aijaz speaks about the history of queer culture in Kashmir, the daily realities of queers in Kashmir, as well as the impact of queerphobia, Islamophobia and regional conflict on his life. Additional reading: Prohibit Attempts To Medically ‘Cure’ Or Change Sexual Orientation Of LGBTQIA+ People : Madras High Court Best of Chinki Minki ( Kashmiri Singers )See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.

We have come a long way since the AIDS epidemic of the 80’s and 90’s. Some of the groups that the HIV intervention programs focused on are men having sex with men and transgender women. In fact that is how the fight against Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalises “unnatural sexual” relationships began as liberation is key to queer people’s health. Despite the advancements since, queer people are still bullied in schools and rejected by their families, resulting in them turning to high-risk activities for relief and escape. On the other hand, the intervention programs have not caught up with technological changes posed by dating apps.  We are embarking on an LGBTQ miniseries about all things queer in India today. For our first episode, reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee spoke to policy researcher Avinaba, HIV activist Firoz Khan, and a young person living with HIV, Vishwas*. Avinaba is a genderqueer person and a research fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the co-founder of Pleqsus India foundation. Firoz Khan is a gay man who works with Alliance India on HIV outreach. Vishwas* is an alias for a 22-year-old bisexual man who contracted HIV as a young teen. We spoke to them about the need for a more comprehensive HIV intervention plan.See sunoindia.in/privacy-policy for privacy information.