Coming Out Stories
Here are some coming out stories from LGBT people in India, many from the┬аMP group┬аassociated with Orinam.┬а┬аAs you read the essays linked below, remember that the coming out process is likely to vary tremendously depending on your age, gender, family circumstances and economic independence, environment and experiences as an immigrant, second-generation (or later) member of the diaspora, or as a resident in your country of origin
.Further,┬а (i) for some – but not all – people who are queer/trans, non-conforming gender expression gives them away as queer/trans – they don’t have the luxury of hiding their queerness because the gender expression itself attracts hostility and violence. For such people, not being visible is not an option. (ii) While it is true that coming out helps in greater visibility and in reducing stereotypes about queer/trans people, it is not a universal solution. Self-preservation and safety should take precedence. There can be unhealthy peer pressure to come out which must be tackled.
We hope that the following accounts inspire you in your journey towards coming out to yourself and consider carefully the possibilities of coming out to others. We encourage you to send in your experiences to us. Experiences of coming out post-377 are especially welcome.
Apartment-hunting as a father of trans experience
My name is Tarun*. I have been working as an LGBTQIAP+ affirmative counselor for the past one and a half years.┬а A man of trans experience (assigned female at birth),┬а…
First Generation Queer South Asian Immigrant Rant
Our stories smell very similar but our sorrows yet very different. Just like how no two snow flakes are alike We often travel in multiple trouble boats all at once,…
Out, Proud and Liberated: Reflections of a former officer in the Indian Army
Ed: the full post may be viewed at https://out-and-proud-indian-major.com/out-proud-liberated/ and another version at https://www.ndtv.com/opinion/i-was-an-officer-in-the-indian-army-im-gay-and-very-proud-2255980 Hello Everyone, I decided to write this blog as it is a part of this new…
[podcast] Colours of Pride: A Talk on Gender, Sex and Sexuality
On Saturday, June 20, 2020, Orinam and the Resource Center for Youth and Mental Health (rYMS), an initiative of SCARF India, partnered to host an InstagramTM Live discussion on gender,…
тАЬMy motherтАЩs smile is as warm as before and I am still my fatherтАЩs ChinnuтАЭ: AlokтАЩs coming out story
I had not visited home in a year and a half. Was it because I was hiding my ultimate secret from my parents? It was rather their journey post- knowing…
The Price I Paid for Being Myself
We should count our blessings, agreed. Sometimes we should also count what we have sacrificed and what we have lost. For it helps us appreciate the value of the idea…
Chennai: Summer of 2004
It was a late summer afternoon in the year 2004. I was at home, in my parents’ apartment, sitting at the computer and doing what a lot of lonely middle-class…
Standing Out
I am a transman. Saying this today took me years to grow, learn, stumble, cry; the journey hasn’t stopped. I was a shy person in school and half of my…
visiBIlity
Photo credit: Sukrit Nagaraj Today is Coming Out Day 2016 and I would like to tell you a little story. It took me 27 years to…
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