Read Gay Bombay: Globalization, Love and (Be)longing in Contemporary India Online
Authors: Parmesh Shahani
birth of, 85
protests against members of Naz
coming about of
Foundation and Bharosa, 182
education policy, 275
siblings’ meet, 158–60
creation of, objectives for, 121
symbol of radical change, 27
differences with Humsafar, 248–60
website and content, 26, 86, 121–22
class differences and language
Why not Gay Mumbai?, 67
barriers, 251–53
Gay Bombay Advisory Group, 87
formal registration, 259–60
gay identity theory
gay activism, views, 253–57
schools of thought, 242–47
English speaking population,
gay parades, 45
influence of, 274
gay pride march (June 1999), 182
ethnoscape of, 87
Gay Reference Audit for Bollywood
events, 26
(GRAB), 206
film festivals, 86–87
Gopinath, Gayatri, 28
financescape, influence of, 277–78
gayness
future plans, hopes and
accepting one’s, 219–28
apprehensions, 265
ambassador of, 276
gay community, already existing, 275
globalization, 234–39
group structure and administration,
identity and negotiation of self,
87
240–48
history, 85
out public figures, 184–86
346
Gay
Bombay
press coverage:
homosexuality
between 1991–2007, 174–91
and gay rights reports on television,
prior to 1991, 172–74
193–95
public perception, changes in, 186–90
changing notions from before 19th
second identity, 240–41
century, 188–90
sensational news stories and scandals,
coming out:
177–79
challenges, timing and acceptance,
television coverage, 191–195
224–28
Gemeinschalft,
63, 232
fears and anxieties, 188
Gesellschaft,
63, 232
parents’concerns, reasons for, 159
Giddens, Anthony, 53, 62, 242, 299, 307
reactions by family members,
globalization
158–59
homosexuality, influence on, 57
contemporary Indian writing on,
McDonaldization, 56
195–99
stages in, 53
gay Indian prince story, 185
glocal, 17, 238, 285, 305
in ancient China, 48
glocalization, 56
in Europe, 49
governmental efforts to battle HIV/AIDS,
in India, 48
183
during British rule, 49
GRAB.
See
Gay Reference Audit for
legal status, 104
Bollywood
in Indian mythologies and ancient
Gupta, Akhil, 35, 70
n
33–34, 71
n
42, 71
n
51, texts, 47–48
73
n
80–81, 124, 125, 131, 132, 133,
liberation movements, 45
165
n
7, 165
n
14, 166
n
26, 166
n
28, Binnehof protest, Holland, 45
166
n
36, 166
n
45, 166
n
50, 167
n
52–53, Stonewall rebellion, New York, 45
167
n
56
medical and legal discourse from late
19th to mid-20th century, shifts
Hall, Stuart, 62, 119, 130
in, 45
heterosexual, 44
medicalization of term, 44
coining of term, 44
newspaper surveys and their findings,
Hindutva
, 92, 279, 280, 302, 309
n
16
188
hijra
kinship
sensational news stories and scandals,
in the eyes of Indian law, 103
177–79
hijra
s
,
50, 288, 295, 297, 301, 302, 306
tolerance in colonial India towards, 49
rights of, 103
homosexuals
Hinglish, 56
estimates, in India, 183
Homophobia, 45, 49, 208
n
4, 216
n
182,
Humsafar Trust, 58, 65–66, 85, 106, 148–
221, 298
51, 182, 275, 277, 292–300, 307
homophobic, meaning of, 189
differences with Gay Bombay, 248–60
homosexual cultures
academic work on, 57
identity, disguise, 153–54, 219
theories on influence of cultural
ideoscapes, 32, 33, 79
globalization, 57
India Network for Sexual Minorities
homosexual domestic partnerships
(INFOSEM), 106
in the eyes of Indian law, 103
Indianness, 25, 34, 38, 52, 91
homosexual men in Bombay
understanding, 26
estimated percentage who are HIV
internet
positive, 184
as enabler for Gay Bombay, 27
Index
347
history in India, 112
attendant processes, 45
hustlers, 147
formation of, 45
studies, stages, 41–43
Liberation Agenda, 46
interviewee demographics, 82–87,
314–17
Malinowski, Bronislaw, 123, 146
interviewing in disguise, 153–54, 219
Manu, 48
invert, 44
Manu Smriti
IRC (Internet Relay Chat), 59
homosexualtiy, reference to, 48
Markham, Annette, 36, 43, 124, 138,
Jackson, Peter A., 27, 51, 68
n
8(i), 68
n
9,
309
n
32
77
n
171, 83, 116
n
105, 275–76, 283,
McIntosh, Mary, 45, 47, 74
n
97
299–300
mediascape(s), 32–33, 79, 90, 94
jalebi, 273, 285
Mehta, Krsna, 95, 185
Jenkins, Henry, 70
n
30, 124, 169
n
93
memoryscape, 33, 79
Puar, Jasbir, 28
men who have sex with men (MSM), 50
Desai, Jigna, 28
Foucault, Michael, 44
Puri, Jyoti, 27
MIT,
LBGT Film Festival, 137
Kama Sutra,
48, 175
South Asian LBGT film festival, 25
Kama Sutra Sex Survey (2004)
MIT research project
on Homosexuality, facts, 187
‘multi-sited ethnography’ approach
Khakhar, Bhupen, 184, 212
of, 35
Khilnani, Sunil, 90, 108n15, 277, 305, 307
central characters, 30
Khush,
85, 111
context of, 27
Khush
-list, founding of, 85
cultural dimensions (scapes) covered,
Kim Christian Schroder’s
32
notion of ‘triangulation’, 35
ethnoscape of, 82–87
Kinsey report, the, 175
kothi(s), 50, 283, 295, 296, 301
field work , winding up, 157–60
Kumana, Geeta, 192
Field work for collecting data, 134–60
financescape and politiscape of,
LABIA (Lesbian and Bisexual Women in
88–94
Action), 106
framework of, 79
Larzish (Bombay), 106
ideoscape of, 102–07
Lavndebaaz-i-Hind, 173
media coverage, scrutiny and analysis
Lawyers Collective, 300
of, 170–208
Lawyers’ Collective HIV/AIDS unit, 182
media overview,
LBGT, 25, 51–53, 85, 106–07, 114, 137,
methodology, 170
147–48, 167, 276, 283, 292, 295, 300
reasons for, 170–71
South Asians, online discussion space,
mediascape:
85
internet, 98–99
activism in India, 106
print media, 94–96
Film Festival, 137
radio, 97–98
identity, existing studies on, 28
television, 96–97
lesbian(s), 44, 48
mediascape and technoscape of,
studies on, focus of, 27
87–94
lesbian and gay identity
mediascape of, 94–99
348
Gay
Bombay
objectives of study, 29–30
Collective, Bombay, 106
personal interviewing, exploitation of
political activism with regard to
multiplex subjectivity, 151–52
AIDS, 107
personal interviews, 149–60
drivers for, 106–07
research methodology, 149
rights of, 103
respondent categories, 218–19
studies on, focus of, 27
schema of, 35
who is?, 47
sexual involvement with respondents,
‘queer haven’, 26
155–57
queer Indian films, 204–08
strategies employed, 36
Queer Studies Circle (Pune), 106
theoretical domains, 40–60
Queer theory, 46, 47
modus vivendi
, 34, 294–303
MSM, 50, 283, 307–09
rainbow
film awards, 297
NACO (National AIDS Control
flags, 25, 45, 69
n
16, 73
n
83, 237,
Organization), 106, 277, 307, 313
268
n
4
Narayan, Kirin, 37, 71
n
43, 71
n
45, 127,
marches, 182
128, 131, 133, 134, 167
n
58, 167
n
64,
Rao, Raj R., 15, 128–29, 143, 186, 197,
168
n
77
205, 209
n
15(b),
Narrain, Arvind, 49, 53, 68
n
12(c),
Rajinder Dudrah, 28
68–69
n
14, 75
n
133, 103, 104, 105,
Reddy, Gayatri, 28
106, 114
n
86, 114
n
89(d), 114
n
92(e),
research rigour, demands of, 168
16
n
102, 116
n
105, 197, 199, 211
n
74,
Riyad Wadia, 23
214
n
153, 216
n
181, 297, 300, 304,
filmmaker, 186, 197, 207, 212
311
n
53
gay celebrity, 95
native researcher, 36
friend and mentor, 23
Naz Foundation International, 29, 50,
Rodricks, Wendell, 185, 188
68
n
14, 75
n
123, 75
n
124, 104, 114
n
85, Row Kavi, Ashok, 83
177, 181, 182, 196, 282, 309
n
25
participation in television chat shows
Nigah Media Collective, New Delhi, 106
and special telecasts, 192
Roy, Arundhati, 54, 110
n
38(b), 295,
OLAVA (Organised Lesbian Alliance for
310
n
49
Visibility and Action), 106
SAATHI (Solidarity and Action Against The
passport princesses
, 235, 303
HIV Infection in India), 106
Pattanaik, Devdutt, 69, 223, 268, 271,
same sex couples, legal marriage rights in
298
Denmark, 46
politiscape
,
33, 79, 88
Sanders, Douglas, 44, 46, 73
n
83, 73
n
87,
Pravasya Bharat, 302, 312
73
n
89, 74
n
95, 74
n
101, 74
n
104, 102, Pushkin Chandra murder case, 179
103, 107, 222
scapes
,
79, 80
queer(s)
ethnoscape, 32–33, 79, 82–83, 90
activist movement in India, 106–07
financescape, 33, 79
communities in Bombay, 87
ideoscapes, 32, 33, 79
history, 48
mediascape, 276–77
legal support groups Lawyer’s
politiscape, 278–80
Index
349
Schaap, Frank, 38, 42, 43, 70
n
35, 71
n
47,
The World of Homosexuals by Shakuntala
72
n
65, 125,
Devi, 200–203
Section 377, 103–07, 114–15, 178, 182,
third sex concept in ancient India, 48
190–92, 199, 276–77, 294–98, 306,
transgendered, 50
307
transvestites, 50
imposition of, 49
Trikone, 85
legal activism against, 104–06
letter writing campaign against, 105
‘Ugra’s Chocolate’, 172
media interest in, 191
UNDP (United Nations Development
need for repealing, 178
Program), 181
of Indian Penal Code (IPC), 49
UNIFEM, 181
statement and explanation, 103
violations of, 104
Vanita, Ruth, 44, 48–52, 68
n
8(e), 75
n
113,
Sen, Amartya, 105, 296, 303, 310
n
50
75
n
115, 75
n
125, 102, 172, 196, 198,
Seth, Vikram, 69
n
16(b), 105, 115
n
98, 122,
208
n
2, 208
n
4–5, 215
n
157, 215
n
162, 186, 194, 197, 212
n
100, 270
n
28, 277,
216
n
185(a)–185(b), 285, 298, 300,
304, 310
n
51(c)
309
n
26
sexual identity categories
Varma, Pawan, 90, 109
n
24, 275, 277, 278,
labeled prior to 19th century, 44
279, 305, 308
n
2, 308
n
4, 308
n
8
sexuality
Vatsayana, 48
understanding, 26
Voices Against 377 (Delhi), 106
gender and rights, 200–204
Voodoo, 84, 128
Sorabjee, Soli, 29, 105, 304
South and Southeast Asia Resource
‘Walk on the Rainbow’ marches (2004–
Centre on Sexuality (Delhi), 106
2007), 182
Spartacus, 147
Weston, Kath, 36, 38, 124, 132, 133, 162
Spivak, Gayatri, 294
Woolvine, David, 232, 234, 260, 268n8,
Stonewall rebellion, 45
288, 295
swadeshi, 92, 109
n
35
Westernization, 55
About the Author
Parmesh Shahani
is based in Mumbai, India, where he works on venture capital, innovation and strategic brand outreach in the corporate world and also serves as the India-based research affiliate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Convergence Culture Consortium. His other work experiences include founding India’s first youth website
Freshlimesoda
, business development for Sony’s Indian television channel operations, writing and editing copy for
Elle
magazine and
The Times of
India
newspaper, helping make a low-budget English feature film and teaching as a visiting faculty member at a Bombay college. He holds undergraduate degrees in commerce and education from the University of Bombay, and a graduate degree in Comparative Media Studies, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He may be reached at
[email protected]