In 2018, the Supreme Court decriminalised Section 377. So, no one could be put behind bars for being gay. But then what? Decriminalisation was only the first fight. The demand for respect and equal rights is still ongoing. While the Pride flag is often used by brands to show support — especially during the Pride Month — basic rights are still denied.

“I have been very uncomfortable with the term queer,” starts off screenwriter, editor Apurva Asrani, when we get on a call with him to discuss his new social media series, Rangila Rupya, that reflects the economic influence and voter power of the LGBTQiA+ community and his desire for a movement that solely reflects the community’s struggle in India. “When people called me to their queer festivals, I used to write to them saying, if you call it queer, I’m not coming because it’s not our term. It’s a term that is derogatory for us. I feel we need to find out what our own LGBTQiA+ history is and own up to that.”

He credits the West for rioting for their rights, and for the likes of Harvey Milk — the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California — for standing up against the establishment. The word queer, which was once derogatory, the West turned it into power, but Asrani feels, “There’s no power in the word ‘Queer’ in India. It’s not our word. It’s not something that comes from our society. This is not at all to take away from that extremely brave movement there.” While he believes it gave them courage, he also feels it is somehow unfair to those who fought the battle in India. He explains, “Our fight is different. Our fight has been legal, in courts, through think tanks, through the media. So our movement needs to be defined. That’s my effort.”