desi-lgbt-fest

[desi-lgbt-fest]

Hi, so I've recently realised that I'm neither straight nor cis. And this has been making me overthink myself a lot because I keep thinking that if I feel like I'm neither straight nor cis am I really queer, or am I just some straight girl lying to myself to feel special? And these thoughts keep making me dysphoric. Do you have any advice on how to deal with this?

Straight up? This is the origin story of every gay person ever lmao. I remember having these Very Intense™️ feelings about girls as a teenager and then being like wow lmao that was a crazy glitch in my system. I'm gonna think about this random generic guy I made up really hard to cancel out whatever that was.

But honestly, Anon, most likely it's your brain and body fighting against what you've been socialized to learn and grow up with your whole life. You're still valid and you're not doing this for attention (no one in their right mind would ever deal with all of this for attention, and if they think they do, they end up being gay anyway). Maybe you don't have a name or label for all these feelings and thoughts right now, and that is PERFECTLY fine and normal. You are good and this is great progress. Sometimes it's good to overthink it a bit because at least you're paying attention to yourself and all these big emotions.

If it's too hard to sit with sometimes, then I recommend writing/drawing/or talking it out. Use your notes app or record yourself speaking so you can read/hear your thoughts and have them out there so you don't stew over them by yourself. Follow that up with affirmations and self-reflection. We are our harshest critics and it's helping no one if all we do is be mean to ourselves. If you feel like it, then share your insights in a safe space!!

By the way, this is helpful for anybody wanting to start self-reflection and journaling. It's actually proven through research that any kind of introspective work yields the same results as meditation and therapy!!

#mod navi #anon asks

[desi-lgbt-fest]

Hey there

I just asked you about the desi queer comics

You know what, imma make em myself

I'm trynna develop my OCs at this point but imma make desi queer comics and imma post em here on tumblr and imma send the blog to you.

Coz guess what, we desperately need em.

I was half way into making my OCs when I felt the need to look up what people before me might have done and the utter helplessness I felt when I discovered nothing.

We need desi queer comics like Sara's Scribbles and how ND Stevenson makes em.

I may suck at it, but imma do it anyway.

Some day soon you'll find the blog link in your asks 🧐

and THIS is what we like to see here. make the comics and give us the links. all of the links. now (this is a threat).

#also who cares if you suck??? #are you not gay?? #south asian and queer??? #you have like centuries of spite and “fuck this I'm gonna do it anyway” in your DNA #along with breathing “sheer audacity of existing” as oxygen your entire life #get it together and make that comic right now

[desi-lgbt-fest]

As a young sapphic who's still in high school and coming into her identity, it gives me chills sometimes when my mom laughs and talks of a possible near future where she hopes to marry me to a boy(and goes on to talk of how he must be from the same community and I should be glad I'm not marrying my cousin). It makes me wanna work harder and get a scholarship to go abroad as far as I can. Any advice or hope?

Hey anon, first of all, thank you so much for sharing, and know that you're not the only one who feels this way.

This is a bit anecdotal but let me tell you a story of how, literally two days ago, I went to this local south asian pride event. In hindsight, there weren't a lot of people there. Maybe upwards to about 80 to 100 people? However, when I arrived, I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of queer desi people just present. And I'm talking trans people, genderqueers, asexuals, people in poly relationships, and people of all genders in lehengas and kurtas and rainbow saris. There were people out to their parents and even more not out, preferring to live freely and safely.

Even as a queer person myself, I could not comprehend how many people there were like me and different from me. And I am fortunate to live in a very tolerant country. I remember saying out loud "Oh my god there are so many people here," and someone replying "Yeah, we exist outside of the screen too." I think it occurred to me then that maybe it's not a matter of me being alone, but me choosing to be because I'm always overwhelmed, shy, or terrified of the consequences of not meeting expectations.

Basically, anon, I'm trying to say that there is always hope. And often, community is much closer to you than you think. There are many of us living in similar circumstances. However, just like you, we fight in our own little ways. Some of us push back marriage to "focus on our careers", some might indoctrinate their parents in tiny ways until they are a little more tolerant than before, and others straight up come out after they have established themselves independently (these people are braver than any soldier to me). Either way, no matter the circumstance, we are always fighting.

Study hard, and go to a college far away. Or study hard and go to a college close by. Stay with your parents or don't stay with them. Get a job, or don't. Either way one day you will be an adult and you will find that community, and you will learn how to fight even harder than before.

#mod navi #by the way #it it's any consolation #i commute from my parent's house to college and somehow still found desi gay people everywhere #more common than you think and it's kind of scary #like boo where were you in my most formative years #now its gay people everywhere #ALSO #MY MOM TOLD ME THE SAME THING ABT MARRYING COUSINS #im pretty sure she was trying to scare me bc she's jealous of how much freedom i have at my age that she didn't #i straight up told her she was being weird and gross like no one does that not even people living in the motherland #that shut her up and put some perspective i think lmao

[desi-lgbt-fest]

Hey guys! I'm a little late but thanks so much for holding the fest this year! Some of my best writing came from it and I was introduced to do many wonderful people/writers/artists, and the appreciation and love I got for my little pieces was through the roof - all because of you guys! Best wishes and blessings for the future (and thank you for having me!) 🪷💕💕

-avani

Hey hey, it was only amazing because of all of you!!! next year bring in everyone you know because we will certainly try to include more people and stories as well <3

#mod navi

[desi-lgbt-fest]

Alright mods, HeLp MeEEeee

Do we really have no desi queer comics?

No desi comic artist is doing queer comics?

Where do I find emmmmm??????

I tried googling em and that lil shit Google showed me stand up comedians.

Help meeeeee 🥺

Anoonn you're breaking my heart bc I also am struggling to find desi queer comic books. The only one I could find is Kari by Amruta Patil.

However, worry not because I still have book recs if anyone is interested:

#mod navi #queer book reads #desi queer

[desi-lgbt-fest]

Nagarkirtan: A Poignant Tale Of Queer Love And Identity

Nagarkirtan tugs at your heartstrings with its unique portrayal of queer love and leaves an impact that stays until long after you’ve watched the film. 

He is a man. By day, he delivers Chinese takeaway for an upmarket restaurant. By night, he weaves haunting melodies on his flute as an accompanist for a kirtan choir. His eyes gaze up, dreamily from beneath his curls as they look for her in the crowd. His heart comes crashing down when he can’t find her there. She is a woman. She claps and sings at traffic signals for a living, and wears cheap wigs and padded bras of myriad hues. Her red lips quiver as they long for his touch and her heart flutters when she sees him. One day, she wants to be everything he desires.

One day, she’ll get that sex reassignment surgery, and no longer need those padded bras. She’ll even have her hair done the way he likes 

Set in the backdrop of the labyrinthine streets of North Kolkata and then the riverside town of Nabadwip, the Bengali film Nagarkirtan tells the heartbreaking tale of a trans woman (Riddhi Sen) and a cis man (Ritwick Chakraborty).

Directed by filmmaker Kaushik Ganguly, with stellar performances by the lead actors, Nagarkirtan tugs at your heartstrings with its unique portrayal of queer love and leaves an impact that stays until long after you’ve watched the film. The main attraction of Nagarkirtan is actor Riddhi Sen. The National Award winner has genuinely outdone himself as the doe-eyed trans woman, Puti. You can feel Puti’s anxiety in Sen’s furtive glances and shaky movements. Her pain resonates within you with every mournful gaze. With every sway of the hips and shrug of the shoulders, Sen beautifully captures Puti’s growth into a more self-assured, confident young woman. For two hours, one sees Riddhi Sen become Puti, rather than play her.

\ Nagarkirtan’s portrayal of society’s internalised transphobia is sensitive and empathetic, without getting overly preachy or sentimental. In her cameo in the film, India’s first transgender college principal, Manabi Bandyopadhyay, talks about how, despite a sex reassignment surgery, she continues to be barred from women’s restrooms in her college. We get a glimpse into the daily living conditions of the trans community in urban India, marked by poverty, infighting, ostracism, and death. Through flashbacks, we learn about Puti’s transphobic family and her betrayal by a cis man, which led to her escape to Kolkata from her small town. With its commentary on society’s deep-rooted cisnormativity, Nagarkirtan stands out as a rare film that dares to hold up a mirror to the naked realities of the socio-cultural context in which we live. With its commentary on society’s deep-rooted cisnormativity, Nagarkirtan stands out as a rare film that dares to hold up a mirror to the naked realities of the socio-cultural context in which we live. feminisminindia.com The film, in addition to being a poignant love story and scathing social commentary, is an audio-visual treat.

The hypnotic background score by music director Prabuddha Banerjee is comprised entirely of kirtan songs that sing of Radha’s yearning for Krishna, drawing parallels between Radha and Krishna’s forbidden love and Puti’s clandestine relationship with her flute-playing lover. Cinematographer Sirsha Roy’s camera meanders deftly through the sprawling city of Kolkata and the bustling neighborhoods of small-town Bengal, making different landscapes with all their sights and sounds come alive before our eyes. The scenes of physical intimacy between Puti and her lover deserve special mention in how they are artfully executed and never cross the line to being voyeuristic. All said and done, Nagarkirtan remains a one-of-a-kind film that brings conversations about gender and sexuality into the mainstream in a way that very few Indian films can claim to have done.

https://youtu.be/HMs6qCUAOY8

Hopefully, it will set a new precedent for representing queer relationships in Indian, especially Bengali cinema, with more movies deviating from heteronormative tropes. All said and done, Nagarkirtan remains a one-of-a-kind film that brings conversations about gender and sexuality into the mainstream in a way that very few Indian films can claim to have done. Hopefully, it will set a new precedent for representing queer relationships in Indian, especially Bengali cinema, with more movies deviating from heteronormative tropes. And hopefully, we’ll get to see queer characters played by actual queer people. A bit of representation is the least that the community could ask for. 

ps kindly see my post i could not submit the pics and links

#submission

[desi-lgbt-fest]

Hii mods!! Queer birdie here lol

Sooooo i was on my way to office and saw that this one metro station had transgender washroom too sndjkdksndksjsbd like there were 4 booths: men, women, handicap and trans. Idk how to feel abt this bt yh i felt a lil nice after it coz dude even at tortoise speed change is taking place jdhdhhehwhdb

-dnj/raavi

HIII RAAVI, SORRY WE GOT TO THIS NOW. I think that is a win personally, however, I know people have different opinions on this, so I would much prefer to hear what our trans community has to say about this!

#mod navi

[desi-lgbt-fest]

Have you heard the podcast shuddh desi gay?

No, but now we're all hearing abt it bc I KNOW every single person is gonna go and listen....right yall 👀

#desi queer #mod navi

[desi-lgbt-fest]

When I first joined college, in the first month itself, I heard running gossips about one of professors being gay.

He actively stood up against discrimination of any sort, whether it's on the basis of gender, caste, religion or sexual orientation. On women's day discussions, he conducted an anonymous survey in the college and illustrated there are other gender minorities in our very vicinity who need to be protected as well. He talked about trans people on independence day - as to why we see trans people on the streets all the time but never in our colleges, never in our offices...

This man is a really hardworking individual, with great credentials in his field of work. Yet, he never got promotion while his colleagues of the same/lesser amount of experience did. Whether was because of his queer identity, we wouldn't know. Perhaps, perhaps not.

I saw all this. There never was a need for him to clarify whether he's gay or not. It's his life, nobody else's business. In the very last month of my college, I went to a queer event. I saw him there, I went up to him, he gave me a very cheerful hi five! Asked me if I have come alone and when I said yes, he introduced me to some people there. Told me to bring some friends next time :) At that time, it felt really nice to know someone who I saw everyday, is living his life so unapologetically as a queer individual. Has been for many many years. It still feels nice. I later found out that he has been working on the ground for many years; has seen the 2009 verdit, the 2013 verdict, and also the 2017 verdict. The ones before that too. He has lived in the 90s. Just amazing. This post is my ode to him. And all the retro queers like him, who just existed and because of them, we can.

Cheers to the conversations we had with him over food!

brb sobbing rn

#desi lgbt fest 2023 #desilgbtfest23 #dlf23: day 26 #RETRO GAYS BABYYY

[desi-lgbt-fest]

Hey, I wanted to say sorry for not participating much in this year's fest. I was super excited for it but got hit with writer's block at the worst possible time possible!! (In conclusion writer's block is homophobic)

Happy pride Month and keep doing what you guys do!! <333

BABYY SHHH THANK YOU AND TO EVERYONE ELSE WHO PARTICIPATED. WE'RE SO GRATEFUL AND HAPPY THIS WAS A GOOD EXPERIENCE. Hopefully we will have many more chances to showcase the wonderful talent of our desi queer community.

#mod navi #congratulations!!!

[desi-lgbt-fest]

Hey guys!!

Thanks for making those prompts, even though I did only four of them, which I enjoyed writing 😊

I understand that the inbox was full, but I am happy that you published them! 👍

Thank you again, and have a good rest of the weekend! 😄🏳️‍🌈✨️

thank YOU for participating. any desi queer content is good content, no matter how much or how little you did. we're here to celebrate ourselves and ourselves only for all ways of the year, not just during pride month.

#mod navi

[desi-lgbt-fest]

No better news could be delivered right to our doorstep at the end of pride month. Gaysis...this is a huge win for us all. We only have more milestones to reach from here.

#mod navi #desi queer #desi lgbt #queer news #queer history #lgbtqia #gaysi

[desi-lgbt-fest]

Day 27: Kotha

Late but I just couldn't miss the one bangla prompt!

@desi-lgbt-fest

#desi lgbt fest 2023 #desilgbtfest23 #dlf23: day 27 #desi queer #desi lgbt #queer art

[desi-lgbt-fest]

Day 30: We are who we choose to be

Some musings for the last day!

@desi-lgbt-fest thank you for starting this three years ago and giving us gaysis this beautiful space to express ourselves! All my love to you and everyone who showed up!!

#desi lgbt fest 2023 #desilgbtfest23 #dlf23: day 30

[desi-lgbt-fest]

Hello Gaysis!!!

First and foremost: CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED!!!!!

We are SO proud of every single one of you who participated in this and thank you so much for your patience and kindness as we finish up Pride.

Once again thank you the most to our mods: @/ogmod, @/modraissa, and @/modnavi for taking time out of their busy schedules to manage the fest and participants 💙💚💜

Moving forward, any fest submissions we missed will be posted up, and if we still missed you, then please tag us/message us/leave asks in our inbox so we will be able to publish them.

Thank you so much to all those who participated. Remember that your existence is beautiful and valid, no matter what your life may look like, as we as the Desi LGBT Fest Team will do our best to be a safe space for you.

Love you all and see you next year!

Desi LGBT Fest Mods

#CONGRATULATIONS EVERYONE #YOU ALL DID SO WONDERFUL #desilgbtfest23 #desi lgbt fest 2023

[desi-lgbt-fest]

hey!! ok so delete this ask if it doesn't fit the blog but the animation movie adaptation of nd stevenson's (the creator of she-ra & lumberjanes) 'nimona' came out on netflix and it has riz ahmed voice a desi queer disabled character!! the movie is set in a fantasy world so the name of the character is not desi but the design of the character is and it is actually SUCH a good & important movie right now!! it is filled to the brim with allegories regarding queerness (specifically transness) & class and i wish everyone would see this animation with a desi queer character who ends up having a happy ending!!

(it also has eugene lee yang from the try guys playing opposite riz's character as his love interest & chloe grace moretz from the miseducation of cameron post as the titular character 'nimona' and it is such a good movie!!!)

always down to boost desi queer rep anywhere babe :3

#mod navi #desi queer #desi lgbt

[desi-lgbt-fest]

The Olympic sprinter talks about being the cover-star of a Valentine’s Day-themed issue for an Odisha-based magazine, dealing with tough critique and being an LGBTQ icon.

She was ostracised from her own community her parents outed her to the media for money and now she is getting married.For those who say rural queer love stories don't exist . I would respectfully tell you to fuck yourselves.

#submission