Being different from the rest of the society, which still barks and rages in its black and white veiled patriarchy or that old dilapidated heteronormative permanence whitewashing colours that we try to explore; is very difficult. It becomes all the more difficult when literature, films, art, music that becomes the primary access to ideas of romance, desire, lust, longing only peddle heteronormative truths, mostly representing narratives of people of dominant race, colour, religion, caste, gender, sexuality. In such a context, people deemed ‘different’, ‘queer’ need to fight every day to break out of this dominant narrative, to prove that people have varied preferences.
The Queer Literary Festival, Kolkata is to change the existing narrative. The queer struggle was never a personal battle or never will be one. This feeling of collectivity, of collective resistance, should find itself a place in history and reincarnate itself through literature, art and cinema. Let us ask each other, why do we need another Literature Festival? Because people never had the courage to brouhaha about Queer issues and emotions like they often do about normative ideas and patriarchy. This festival will be an attempt to open up conversations with writers, publishers, readers, about the everyday struggles, joys, sorrows, about multiple ways of living and being. It is also to talk, listen about other movements, struggles, resistances, to connect the dots and build alliances, for the firm belief is that none of our lives gets affected only by a single issue, and none of us are free until everyone is free.
This programme is in collaboration with the West Bengal Forum for Gender and Sexual Minority Rights.
Open to all
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