LGBTQI Voices From India Share Their Stories As Part Of The Visibility Campaign

India has always been an abode of a multitude of tribes, sect, religions and communities, each unique in their own way, yet as a society we have remained intolerant of the long-existing diversity of sexual identities. The LGBTQI community is one such community in the pool of Indian heterogeneity that despite existing in the world’s largest democratic and secular nation, have dealt with unjust discrimination and abuse in almost every walk of life. The community has grown from a small group to a large number of individuals, 2012 estimates put the gay population at an estimated 25 lakhs, and that’s just the official number, whereas the existence of the lesbian community hardly even acknowledged. 

Although there have been small, yet victorious steps taken towards the inclusion and acceptance of the transgender community as a legal third gender, over the years as more and more individuals come out having embraced their sexual identities it seems Indian society has grown in its intolerance and ignorance of things considered ‘unconventional,’ even called blasphemous. After years of struggles, debates and protests, homosexuality continues to be a ‘criminal act’ in the country, and it’ suffice to say that although at one point the LGBTQI community may have been small and clandestine about its customs and lifestyle, they are hardly a minority anymore. Yet, they are forced to live in the shadows with undue shame imposed upon them for being who they are.

It’s hard to believe, but it remains a fact, that a large part of society isn’t even aware of the LGBTQI community’s existence, and it is with the aim of featuring the real stories of people identifying as LGBTQI, as well as heterosexual allies, and bringing their voices to the forefront that Debarati Das, who under the name Queertopia, started The Visibility Campaign around a year and a half ago.

A student pursuing a Masters in Law and a drummer in a metal band, Das grew up in Assam, and lived in Kolkata before moving to Pune. “I identify as bisexual and have known it throughout my life. There’s never been any hiding about it,” Das tells Homegrown. “I always felt the need of getting voices heard of these people who are mostly rendered voiceless as a community because of a spectrum of reasons--be it societal conditioning, lack of information, conservatism, fear of what’s considered ‘unnatural,’ discrimination, and so on. It is very important to have real voices heard, for society to not only be tolerant but accepting of people irrespective of gender and sexuality, for the world to see the beauty of gender/sexuality spectrum.”

The Visibility Campaign in an online project where individuals can send in their stories and images as part of a collective of understanding, a community of acceptance and a stand against the prejudice any ‘alternative’ that the heteronormative society see as a threat, is at the receiving end of. “Equality for the gender/sexual minority community is discussed everyday, but most often, only in terms of legal status. While equality in terms of legal protection is very important, legal equality doesn’t necessarily lead to social equality or equality in representation. There persists major discrepancy in LGBTQI representation or visibility in every sphere of life,” says Das. “how many Indian politicians or scientists can we think of who identify as the gender/sexual minority? 

This lack of visibility exists not only in terms of occupation/employment, but also in terms of philosophical approaches in a more aggravated manner. This is only one of the ways in which the gender/sexual community is taught that they have a certain level of success and opportunity predetermined. Therefore, there are very few people that we can think of, who can serve as LGBTQI role models. Ideally, one doesn’t need a ‘role model’ to ‘be gay’, but society teaches us to look up to ‘heroes’ while also perpetuating the notions that people who identify as the gender/sexual minority are all alike! For example, in most Indian movies, straight characters have many attributes (funny, bold, shy etc.), but gay characters are just...gay! But hey! There are nice, stupid, sexy, nerdy, intelligent and athletic queer people who have stories of their own and are not always a ‘part of someone else’s story’ like Bollywood teaches.”

“Moreover, there are also people even within the LGBTQI community who want to regulate the behaviour of other queer people. I witnessed this at a Pride itself where someone said to another, ‘Don’t behave that way; you’ll give the community a bad name!’ Such things only aggravate the oppression we’re meant to be fighting. ‘Gays shouldn’t behave that way!’ and ‘Don’t behave that way, it’s gay!’ lead to the same thing! If we are unhappy with the way the LGBTQI community is perceived, we must take the responsibility to set things right instead of shaming others. So, I want to broadcast to my society that LGBTQI people have our own stories and identities, not suggesting this as a way to live, but simply asserting that this is how we live,” says Das.
Through The Visibility Campaign, Das strives to break stereotypes and bring forth each person’s individuality, show that they are more than just their sexuality. LGBTQI or not, each person has their own personality, likes and dislikes, like anyone else, and Das refuses to let them be cast as archetypes created from preconceived notions of what each gender and sexual orientation is. The campaign seeks to sensitise people through awareness, filling the lacunae that exists in society’s mindset about the realities of LGBTQI individuals.

Do you identify as the gender/sexual minority, or as a heterosexual ally? You can write to Queertopia at outintheopen2014@gmail.com to be a part of The Visibility Campaign, “Tell me your story/opinion and why you think visibility is important.” We’ve posted below a few images and stories of participants of the project, courtesy of The Visibility Campaign, Queertopia and the individuals who’ve shared their stories and opinions. 

I. Ananya Duttaroy | Student | Silchar, Assam

“Sexuality is as important a part of our identity as name. It may not totally define who we are but if the idea of sexuality gets confused, we become something that we are not.

Discrimination against the LGBTQI community is prevalent everywhere, everyday- whether it is done consciously or not. I have seen ‘effeminate’ guys being mocked as ‘gay’. I have seen homophobic jokes made everyday without any awareness or compassion. I have seen people branding anyone who opposes such homophobic jokes to be gay as well. If that’s not discrimination, what is?

Visibility is very important as it will work in two ways-

First, it will let people know that queers are not rainbow vomiting aliens, and second, it will make it easier for those who are struggling to come out of closet without any fear or doubt.

The straight allies need to be a part of this struggle as much as the queer. For justice comes only when those unaffected are as enraged as those affected.” 

II. Rajarsee Bhattacharjee | Agartala, Tripura

“It’s always who we are and not who we choose to be. For generations, people have suffered for having a different idea, knowing something which goes beyond the popular beliefs, expressing them in a way others could never understand. Shall we not at last allow people to just be themselves from this generation onwards?

Sexuality is something we grow with, and discriminating one’s choice of sexual priorities is nothing more than sheer absurdity. But we have seen the word “Gay” turning out to be something humiliating, “Lesbian” ending up only as some category in various porn sites. People feeling sexually attached to their own kind deserve better than this and this is high time that we stand up for their rights, for the rights of the generations to come.Visibility of the allies is important as this will let the sufferers of the LGBT community know that they are not alone, that they can share and celebrate their love with people who do not really belong to their community. It will help them come out with a pride for their love and stand their ground with not the hope, but the firm belief that this world is as much theirs as it is ours.

Here, I solemnly pledge my allegiance to the LGBT community and I believe that I will soon disappear in the raging crowd doing likewise.”

III. Aarushi Raveen Bajaj | Student- Clinical Psychology | Manipal

“One of my closest friends was disowned by his family for being gay. He tried to kill himself, and nearly succeeded. It was one of the most terrifying days of my life. I vowed then and there, that I will actively try to make as much of a difference as I can,and help everyone I am able to. So, my research focuses on the lives of non-heterosexual women in India. I’ve chosen the term because it all-inclusive, and wanted to do my best so as to not make someone feel alienated. I chose this topic because as I was reading scientific articles and publications and studies about homosexuality in India, and it was almost always focused on homosexual men. Homosexual women were just a mere footnote, a line under the “Areas for future research” domain. I thought it unfair. There is virtually no talk about the lives, difficulties, or positive factors. That is why I’m hoping to conduct a basic, exploratory research to get us at least a baseline for all the issues non-heterosexual women in India have faced. You might think that the issues are very obvious, but it is not so. Everyone has faced their own unique set of struggles, and has their own ways of coping with them.

From a psychological point of view, there is very little awareness as to what would even constitute as a “sexual minority” in the general population. Most people cannot comprehend the fact that something like it even exists, let alone accept it - even to themselves. I think that’s because there is just so little knowledge out there about what human sexuality is. People think of sex only in terms of its procreative functionality, and anything that doesn’t serve that purpose is an ‘anomaly’. What little limited exposure they do have is from mainstream media, where gay characters are mere caricatures, usually put in for comic relief. They’re made fun of, most of the time. There are virtually no role models, no one to whom a person identifying (or at least trying to) as a sexual minority can look up to, and see that things can turn out alright, if they just stay true to themselves. That is why we need visibility, in my opinion - self acceptance. Acceptance from society is secondary, but if an individual denies, denigrates and detests what comes naturally to them, is innate, just because it’s they don’t know that it’s okay to be that way, can severely harm their mental peace and well being. In a society that’s always deriding us for the smallest, most superficial things, denying to ourselves such a crucial factor of our identity can have very detrimental effects.

I think visibility is very important and can be attained slowly, and systematically. We know that our long term goal is to reach a point where anyone identifying as a member of gender or sexual minority can do so openly, without any fear, and this will probably take a long, long time to happen in a nation like ours. To begin with, I think we need to address the stereotypes about gay men and women - the most widely known sexual minorities. This is a social change we’re talking about, and it’ll take it’s time and take place in a diffused manner. I think if each one of us just does our own little bit by talking about it, in a non-aggressive manner, visibility will increase. When we’re faced with hate, hating back will do us no good. Calmly stating our case and letting the person come to the realization that it is, in fact, just as natural to identify as non-heterosexual as it is to identify as heterosexual, and it is a decision to be made by the person, and the person alone.”

IV. Nayantara Gupta | Pune

“I’m a Bengali who grew up in Nigeria and Dubai, and now I live in Pune. I do a lot of random things. 

The first porno I ever watched was of a girl with 2 donkeys. I was in Switzerland, in a hotel opposite a sex shop. So, as you can imagine, that left me with A LOT of questions. Which were duly answered by the internet. In 2009, I came across a Kink website, which opened me up to BDSM and the kink community in India. I learned a lot of cool things after I started to explore my own kinks and started perceiving my sexuality more positively. Kink and BDSM and the like are all about building psychological and physical connections and exploring oneself, so it helped me become more comfortable with myself in many ways.
I think for many of us, our sexuality plays a considerable role in shaping our thoughts, feelings and behaviour. Our level of acceptance in relation with our sexuality is important if we want to be able to think on a deeper level, otherwise a tiny corner of our mind will constantly be preoccupied with confused, frustrated emotions and that sucks. When I was very young and came to India for vacation, I’d come across Hijras occasionally and feel damn scared. Later I realized it was because I was simply not used to seeing individuals outside the stereotypical gender standards, especially visually. Visibility is important because it helps us get used to certain ideas and sights, which then normalizes them. Also ‘people fear what they don’t understand’, right? So if society was exposed more to LGBTQIA+ individuals, more people would get over their surprise and realize that we are normal. Plus it would really help broaden up my dating pool if more people are aware of what pansexuality is!
In my opinion the easiest way to attain visibility is through art and media. People seem to trust their favourite celebrities so if more celebrities spoke up about their experiences with their sexuality, it would increase visibility. Especially if celebrities with various sexualities spoke/sang/wrote/etc. And when people are viewing art, be it a song, a photograph or a movie, they seem to go into a very fertile mind space where they’re more willing to think over certain topics in a relatively unbiased way. So for sure, there should be more rainbow representation in art and media.”

V. Vinay Aarote | Social Media Expert | Mumbai

“I need visibility to assert the fact that I exist as an individual rather than just as a ‘minuscule minority’ – an unimportant category my government puts me into. We need visibility, not just for showing numbers but also for the sake of equal (not special) rights and most importantly, equal acceptance. A lot of discrimination exists because society cannot come to terms with the fact that we exist among them; it cannot accept the fact that we are harmlessly different. I faced a lot of discrimination right since I was a kid. In school I was bullied, called insulting names and even hit for being gay. I was depressed for a year until I met a professor who helped me accept what I am. He was gay as well and I explored with him what being homosexual is and got rid of my fears. He is my mentor and my inspiration. I was but lucky to come across somebody like him. Not everyone is as lucky as me. Lack of visibility leads to lack of acceptance which leads to discrimination. And many of us have to face horrible consequences of this.”

VI. Sayantan Datta | Student Activist; Writer | Kolkata

“Hi, I am Sayantan Datta. I am a a gender-fluid homosexual person from Kolkata. I write for multiple queer spaces, and I also write poetry in general.

I have been a reclusive kid. I just used to be never interested in sports. I used to be interested in art. I was also effeminate, femme to be precise, and was bullied in school multiple times for my femme characteristics. So, I was in a self defiance that I could not overcome initially. But then I finally overcame it. Except for my parents, everyone knows of my gender and sexuality. I plan to show this to my parents once this is out.
Realization about my sexuality came during puberty, when boys in my class were obsessed with girls and I just could not relate. But the gender part of it came much later, in college. I was always gender-fluid. I just did not have the label. Once I got involved in studying queer literature and texts, I found the labels I belong to. And I created the ones I could not find. I looked up stuff on the Internet and tried to understand if I was some alien. But then slowly maturity set in. So.. 
I have been like a non binary person, shifting from one zone to another. People initially stigmatized me. Some said it is a phase. Some accepted. Now, I feel that most people in my circle accept me the way I am, and those who don’t, I honestly don’t care about them. Most of my friends were simply shocked. I had to counsel them a lot. But college was amazingly different. I have been rarely stigmatized in Presidency.
I realized the need for collective voices and then started following and attending the queer events. I slowly made a space for myself in the activist expressionist space. I now call myself a queer expressionist because I think the term activist is too heavy for me to carry honestly. My expressionism mainly focuses on the lesser discussed aspects of gender and sexuality. I also write for this webzine called Gaylaxy. I feel that the Queer Movement in India is a sort of consortium yet to mobilize in its full strength. We need to come together as much as possible, and we will definitely see better times in the future. I think that it is important for the activists to bridge the gap between theory and praxis, and also to have ground level non elitist awareness.”

VII.  Aritra Paul | Student, Fan fiction author, Blogger | Assam

“I am a bisexual girl. Since childhood I have been very friendly with both girls and boys. But my relations with my girlfriends have always been quite involving ones where I would go to great extents to save them from troubles. You could call me a ‘tomboy’ who wanted to be more powerful than the boys. I even had the desire to become a man.

On entering puberty I started to notice that my attraction towards both males and females was balanced. I assumed I liked girls like every girl loves her best-friend. I had no idea that my attraction was different from others.

It was my in last year of school and beginning of college that I figured I swing both ways. I read as much I could about LBGT rights. In 2009 I was one of the few in school who was shouting her voice out and in December 2013, crying out her heart on her blog. That was the first time I felt violated, betrayed, hurt and really scared. That fear has made me very, very bold.

I found my sexuality through different mediums, I enjoy reading Manga, graphic novels and that’s when I found the exaggerated love stories in Manga world: Yaoi- gay couple stories and Yuri- lesbian couple stories. Eventually I entered fan fiction and my reading, writing and interacting with people therein has liberated my mind of gender boundaries.

I have dated both genders, I have been dumped by girls who were afraid to come out, I have been rejected by boyfriends because they could not come to terms with the idea of a bisexual partner. I love to think that what matters is love, peace and acceptance and my love life and support for all the queers out there should be visible. To me now equality for ALL matters the most.
After that I made it sure that my twitter account speaks about my consciousness for the community. My Facebook is filled with news and events happening around the world, my blog is trying to be free of gender structure, my personal reading now constitutes of alternative writings as well. I think internet is one of the best ways to be aware of and understand the way society works. Some have called me hypocrite as well because I am all behind a virtual screen. Yes I have never been to pride parades or meetings, seminars or talks that LGBT organisations hold. But I have made sure in my small universe that people I meet and interact get to know my true self. A girl who admires best in all genders.
I think the first step to make ourselves visible is by being truthful to ourselves.”

VIII. Pim Bose | Student | Kolkata

“My name is Pim. I’m 20 years old. I am an androgynous, gold star lesbian. I’m actually from Calcutta, but currently residing in Bombay. I’m a student at Sophia College for Women. I have been an introvert since childhood. I have loving parents, but I always preferred being alone, doing my own thing - minding my own business. I was bullied in school for being a bit “absurd” by behaviour, but I got around it by the time I reached high school. I’ve never had a healthy relationship with my cousins: they never involved me in their games and outings, and used to make fun of me. I spent my time playing video games and reading books, mostly. 

As proud as I am to be gay, I don’t think it defines me as a person. What I do in life and who I become as a person is what will define me. I’m out to almost everyone except my parents, and a few of my aunts and uncles. And I believe they are aware of it too, but are living in denial. I wish they accept me, however I am, obviously. I have decided that I will fully come out to my folks once I get a job and a place of my own. I’m very scared of being disowned and isolated. Initially, people were sceptical - and by people I mean, my friends and cousins, and other kids of my generation - but slowly they warmed up and now they not only support me but also the cause.

As a gay genderfluid, I strongly believe that visibility should be encouraged. It is not only unnerving to be denied rights because of one’s sexuality but also detrimental to one in so many ways. People should not be afraid to be who they are. People shouldn’t be hesitant to dress a certain way, behave a certain way, or even speak a certain way just because they’re too concerned about what the society would take out of it. We are all different, and we think differently. We’re unique individuals, and we don’t need to replicate one another. I don’t understand why people are so intolerant and ignorant towards our community. Our sexuality isn’t a choice so we shouldn’t be shunned because of it. It is not up to the society to decide who we should marry and how we should dress ourselves. People should seriously stop stereotyping every trivial move we make in life. These are basic human rights, and we shouldn’t be denied them. We can only make people aware through word of mouth, but in the end, it’s what they choose to make of it. We can show them how we are not any different from what they are, and that maybe we just live differently. And if that works, then it will be splendid. Otherwise, sadly, we need to wait another 50 years for the mindset of people to evolve.

I have been questioned time and again, why is it that one moment I put on a kurta and almost a full face of make-up and the next moment I’m seen wearing a shirt, trousers and vans? And my answer has always been, “Because I want to, because I can, I dress however I want”. As for my sexuality, initially, I’m not gonna lie, I was extremely sceptical about being out to the mass. But as time passed, I realized that it’s really a waste of time wondering whether or not you’ll be accepted for who you are. It’s not up to others who I date or how I dress up. 

A country like India will be ignorant about the LGBTQI community for a good while. Most people will be enraged or disappointed with the broadcasting of anything related to the community. Which means that even if the media is supportive, they will usually be reluctant to show any support, with the fear of losing viewers. But I feel that it is the best platform to spread the need of acceptance towards the community. Hence, I hope in the near future we find more shows or commercials spreading awareness about it.

Whenever you feel smothered sitting in the closet, waiting for the right moment to come out, just think to yourself: “I don’t live to please other people”. Accept yourself however you are, no matter how absurd you appear to people because the right people, the people who genuinely care about you, will accept you with open arms. Break free.”

IX. Sudipta Das | Student, Activist | Kolkata

“Coming out of the closet is one of the most important, daring and necessary steps in a queer’s life. So what exactly is the closet? The rules and norms set by the society? Confusion? Fear of non-acceptance? Or do all of these constitute the walls around, leaving us suffocating in the dark, alone. But the moment one comes in terms with their identity and becomes confident about their sexual expression and orientation, that becomes the closet’s key. Self-acceptance is more important than whatsoever.

I always knew I was different ever since I was young, so did everyone else. Rather than being apologetic about my true self, I always embraced my existence. It was during my adolescence when all of my family suddenly started imposing restrictions and rules on me to act “normal”. When things went beyond my tolerance, I came out to my family. It wasn’t at all a planned move, rather was an impulsive action that drove me to further trouble. My mom and dad tried their level best to make me understand that I was suffering from a mental illness, a psychological phase, but that the moment I stopped thinking that way I would be normal. Yes, according to them homosexuality is threatening but curable, so I should not panic. But I did panic, a 15-year old boy, dealing with puberty, confused, ignored by some, ridiculed by all, understood by none. All of a sudden, I felt like I was standing against the whole world, with not even my family with me. I thought I would lose the fight. I regretted my coming out so much at that time. Ironically, the closet seemed far better than this cruel world. I could clearly feel, how my parents thought I was a curse. Trust me, that feeling kills you from inside. I felt unwanted, not worthy of living.

It was my first year of college when I came to know some more queer people. Life started changing for better. Somewhere between the shame and self-discovery I managed to understand what exactly it does mean to be homosexual, and there is nothing I should be apologetic about. I started working for some queer short films, and came to know more people breaking the heteronormative, stereotypical norms set by the society. That boosted up my confidence and finally I started celebrating “being myself”.

Afterwards, I came out to my college friends, extended family, work colleagues, everyone. Definitely my sexuality does not constitute my identity totally but every time I come out to someone, I feel that happy hormonal rush through my nerves. I feel confident. Of course, I have to face stupid questions often, like “How can you have sex with man?”, “ Do even homosexual relationships sustain?” and “What if it is a phase?” 

Recently I went to my college union with a proposal of organizing a interactive seminar on “sexuality and gender” in association with a local pro-queer NGO, and talked about my journey of being gay and how our college should be more LGBT friendly. When I eyed around, there were some laughing or pointing at me for being different sometimes in college before. But now they were listening to me with respect. After this whole episode when students came out to me as queer and said, “you are a inspiration”, my heart was numbed. I believe people are good in general, what makes them do wrong things is fear, fear of that what they don’t know, what they don’t understand. So visibility is extremely important to educate people about us. Through my personal journey I have realized the world may be cruel at times. It’s difficult to be different, yet to survive in the society, but being in the closet is extremely suffocating, lonely, and hopeless.

Now after five years of my coming out to my parents they have came to terms with my identity. Still they have questions, worries about my future but they now at least they don’t push me to be normal. Finally they realized there is nothing abnormal about me. Now I often share a casual discussion about sexuality, the LGBT movement, my future plans with my dad. That day he asked me, “How do you feel now?” 

“Free”, I said.”

X. Kavita Sarmah | Artist | Mumbai

“When I was in high school, my classmates made paper badges for each student and I was tagged, ‘Ms. Mysterious’. I always remembered it because it felt very meaningful to me. As hard as it is to admit, it is true that I have always lived my life in secrecy. So naturally, when I started to realize that I am not only attracted to one gender, I did nothing about it. I hid it like I hid the other aspects of my life that I was scared that I would be judged for and that I felt ashamed of.

I had my wonderful epiphany when I was once talking to a senior from school on an instant messanger and we were talking about how smoking should be banned from public spaces and he said in a very judgemental tone, “But you are such a smoker; why would you want that?” and the thing is that I had never smoked and I realized at that point that, people are always going to find something to judge you for and if they do not find anything, they will create reasons. That is when it felt meaningless for me to feel ashamed of and hide parts of me that makes me the most authentic version of myself just because a bunch of people might think negative of me because they are doing it anyway!

Soon after that, I came out to my sister and it was the most sensible conversation I ever had about my sexuality and she even brought me cupcakes to celebrate, the next day! I then told a couple of my close friends who were supportive, understanding and also curious because hardly anyone ever talks about sexuality here as it is considered taboo and thus, there is hardly any awareness. Eventually I also came out to everyone I knew in a Facebook status and honestly, I felt liberated. It can be annoying sometimes to talk about my bisexuality with people because a lot of times I come across things like “You must love threesomes! Do you think a friend of yours will join?” and “So, have you been with more men or women?” but I still think that any conversation is better than no conversation. Majority of the population in India are ignorant about the diversity in sexuality and the spectrum that gender is. I think coming out is very important and I would encounrage anyone reading this to take the step and come out.
It breaks my heart every time I come across stories of people from the LGBT community, facing everyday discriminations and falling prey to hate crimes so often. A transgender cousin of mine was disowned by his family and suffered from depression for a very longtime before he took his life and it fills me with melancholy every time I think of him, I wish I could have been there for him and maybe helped him to cope with the situation in someway. It is too late for him but there are several other people that still need help and can be saved. I try to spread as much awareness as I can to the people who are in one way or the other, in my direct reality. It is very important for more people to be aware of the difficulties that the LGBT community faces daily for just existing. Perhaps there will be a day when it is no longer important for us to come out as LGBT. However, as long as LGBT people in every part of this country and in this world cannot live free and equal the same as heterosexuals do, then it will be of the utmost importance that every person who is willing and who can, to stand up and be counted.

I am Kavita Sarmah and identify as Bisexual. I do not ask for any kind of judgement or validation but only acceptance for me to happily be who I am.”

XI. Somava Das | Student, Freelance Content Writer | Silchar, Assam 

“Sexuality definitely shapes an individual’s identity. How I sexually identify myself can also determine how I am identified. I’d like to talk about what I witnessed in someone else’s experience in terms of sexuality. At school, I had a classmate who was very soft-spoken, probably what society labels as ‘effeminate’. We mocked his mannerisms behind his back. He left school mid way. Honestly, I have tried to find him to apologize. I want to apologize to him because homophobic jokes have become a part of everybody’s lives, because people end up using them consciously or unconsciously, because society questions the sexuality of someone who opposes such demeaning things, because ‘gay’, ‘homo’ and ‘hijra’ are used as derogatory terms.

Many lives can be destroyed because people are not familiar enough with sexuality and its beautiful diversity due to lack of visibility. LGBTQI people are everywhere, existing amongst everyone else. But probably not on equal terms because many belonging to the sexual minority live a constant fear of stigma which sadly, can even become a way of life. Lack of visibility can destroy more lives than that only of the individual concerned. If we recall the case of the doctor of AIIMS who committed suicide after she discovered her husband was gay is one of those many stories of how the lack of visibility has severe consequences. Unless I, as a bisexual person have visibility I will never stop facing questions and wrong notions like “You’re confused.” and “...how do you guys do it?” I am sexual minority. I breathe, eat, shit and sleep just like you do. It’s time we realized we’re all a part of this struggle, straight and queer alike, holding hands. No war has been won single-handedly. We need one hand to swing the sword and another to hold the shield.”