Documenting queerness: Online archives are filling the gaps in LGBTQIA+ history

History is a complex evolving entity that shapes society today Yet the mainstream narrative often omits diverse stories that fall outside of societal boxes Throughout history the existence of LGBTQIA individuals has been questioned and brushed under the carpet As has the complex intersectionality of religion gender colour financial status and caste in the Indian context which reflects in the diverse lived experiences of queer folk todayMidDaycom spoke to queer Indians archiving overlooked aspects of LGBTQIA history to understand the significance of such documentation and affirmative representationRafiul Alom Rahman 29 HeHimFounder of The Queer Muslim ProjectBased out of Meghalaya currently Rafiul started The Queer Muslim Project in 2017 Pic Rafiul Alom RahmanThe Queer Muslim Project was started by Rafiul Alom Rahman to archive and amplify narratives that represent Muslim queers ldquoToo often if we donrsquot tell our stories other people tell them and they donrsquot tell them well When I set out to start TQMP there were hardly any stories that represented Muslim queers I believe archiving voices and stories is very important because it is directly linked to affirmative representation and I wondered why are we not hearing from the community The objective is to enable people to tell their stories to be agents of their stories and not mere characters in other peoplersquos storiesrdquo shares RahmanStressing on the relevance and multifaceted nature of queer history he adds ldquoWhen you donrsquot have documented heritage who do you fall on If you donrsquot have a fulcrum what holds you What does queer inclusion even mean Is it only for cisupper castes or also for diverse local identities which exist outside the western definitions of LGBTQIA I see a lot of young people in their early 20s who have been exposed to a different kind of rainbow activism post377 There is a big disconnect between what exists and what has historically happened It is very skewed and superficial we donrsquot know what the struggle has been there is some bit of documentation but I donrsquot think it is very widely accessiblerdquoArchiving different aspects of history for example the Partition has gained traction in the recent past However LGBTQIA history leaves much to be desired We must understand the gap that is created when stories of generations of queer people are lost ldquoThere is dearth of documentation of queer history across South Asia There arenrsquot enough resources to support such projects A dedicated focus on queer archiving is missing At TQMP we train people to relook at popular culture and shape opinion through art and culture To archive and talk about personal narratives that arenrsquot visible in mainstream media is the need of the hourrdquo observes RahmanTQMP is a catalogue of diverse queer Muslim voices across the world which creates a safe space for LGBTQIA individuals to find community ldquoIdentifying with these universal queer experiences makes people realise they arenrsquot alone Looking at our page gives people hoperdquo says Rahman It is one thing for people from the community to connect to pages like this but what is heartening to see is that a lot of allies are connecting and engaging with our content Seeing cishet individuals trying to understand queer identities seeking the right kind of information is a stepping stone This is how larger social change will be brought aboutrdquo concludes RahmanKumam Davidson Singh 32 HeTheyFounder of The Chinky Homo ProjectKumam Davidson Singh started a digital queer anthology that archives the lived experiences of queer Northeasterners Pic Kumam Davidson SinghldquoThere is little to no coverage by the mainstream media entertainment and art fraternity Independent and queer centric media and allied platforms mostly the blog counterparts NGOs and collectives working on issues of gender sexuality HIV and LGBTQIA issues seem to be picking up of late But there is a lack of consistency in reporting Also the absence of ground reporting calls into question the very nature of representation So it is very important for artists community voices and leaders to work towards selfrepresentationrdquo says Kumam Davidson Singh founder of The Chinky Homo ProjectThe Chinky Homo Project started by Kumam Davidson and Pavel Sagolsem is a queer narrative blog of Northeast India which seeks to explore discuss and archive the lived experiences and narratives of people living in the cusp or intersection of both subjectivities ldquoWe seek to record archive and disseminate testimonies fictions photo essay and myriad forms of digital expressions from LGBTQIA people belonging to the region visavis the absence and stark invisibility of literature and other forms of expression of being queer in or from the region in general as well as LGBTQIA mainstream discourse in the countryrdquo shares SinghBased out of Moirang in Manipur Singh seeks to create a space where representation and determination of Northeastern queer identity lies in the communityrsquos hands and is painted with their own struggles Talking about his blogrsquos efforts in documenting contemporary queer lives ldquoUnder the project we have been collecting testimonials and experiences of people and with the help of it generating dialogue and creating peer support for queer migrants from the Northeast We mostly rely on informal conversations WhatsApp and email exchanges The documentation is based on friendships and community networks We also rely on autoethnography but most of the stories are selfdocumentedrdquoArchiving and amplifying personal stories becomes challenging when dealing with multiple languages ldquoGiven the availability of more resources bringing in visual arts such as photography videography and other artworks on queer issues has been under discussion for a while Making it multilingual and giving a wider representation and readership across is another goal of the project For now itrsquos a real challenge to keep it multilingual so we are relying on the translation of testimonials from the original to the English language The other challenge is to document testimonials from more remote corners of the region where coming out English language and queer advocacy are distant realitiesrdquoSpeaking about the intersection of dual marginalisation Singh adds ldquoNortheast is a complex entity very much at the periphery of the country geographically and otherwise This peripheral identity is an issue the region and its people continue to grapple with One of the repercussions of being in the periphery is the struggle to voice oneself and be heard So as a person from Northeast onersquos identity and life experience in relation to oneself and the country may be marked by elements of invisibility and misrepresentation And if one is queer from the region it may be an added struggle in selfdetermination and representationrdquoMeghna Mehra 24 SheHerFounder of All India Queer AssociationMeghna has studied political science and understands social issues from a gendered perspective PicMeghna MehraActivist and author Meghna Mehra started AIQA a queer Marxist union working for empowerment of the LGBTQIA community in 2019 They aim to spread awareness provide mental health services and fight for working rights of the community through their multiple chapters across the country from Punjab to Mumbai Their online presence has helped connect thousands of queer individuals and furthered the conversation surrounding gay rightsWhile extensive conversations happen on their social media channels they have a space dedicated to highlighting queer iconsmdashindividuals with great accomplishments throughout history ldquoEvery time someone comes out society dismisses them stating this is a new thing or that Marxists canrsquot be queers but that is why knowing history is so important Queer individuals have always existedrdquo poses MehraFor generations queer erasure has been the norm ldquoMembers of the LGBTQIA community need to know who all have been here before us Frida Kahlo revolutionary communist painter was bisexual How many know of this The sexuality and gender identities of many prominent figures have been brushed under the carpet for far too longrdquo says MehraThese examples are important because representation matters immensely to the queer existence ldquoWhen I was a teenager I used to wonder whatrsquos wrong with me why donrsquot I find men attractive Unless we see examples of humans we can identify with queer children and adults will continue to wonder and feel lostrdquoParth 24 HeHimVolunteer with AIQA Mumbai Psychologist and mental health research assistantldquoWhen I was questioning it was very difficult because I had nobody to look up to Society tries to fit queer individuals in binary boxes which hurts everyone I couldnrsquot even access mental health practitioners because section 377 was still in place and social media is all I had because mainstream media has lacked queer representationrdquo shares the Mumbaibased psychologistAccepting his sexuality and identifying as bisexual came after much exploration for Parth ldquoIt is difficult for individuals to explore the queer lived experience as they lack the insight needed If I had access to more documentation I would believe this is nothing newrdquoAdvocating for the need of different narratives he adds ldquoI think we need documentation of history because we need role models like Alan Turing who was castrated for being gay even after his contributions in the WW2 You erase that human you humiliated them stripped them down of their dignity for their existence We donrsquot need only positive stories we need realistic stories of struggle so queers of today understand that wersquove had to fight for our rights we werenrsquot served these on a silver platter Reading about them gives me hope that these people fought when times were tougher There arenrsquot enough narratives to go ahead we need diverse icons to identify ourselves with we need hope that we can also be a part of society and bring about changerdquoAlso ReadRepeating onersquos truth Why coming out is a never ending process not a onetime event