Desire, Marriage, and Equality: Provocative Questions Stir Discussion at Rainbow Lit Fest

New Delhi - The Rainbow Literature Festival, now in its fifth year, is a special event that supports and includes the LGBTQ+ community. It's organized by Sharif D. Rangnekar, a writer, and activist, and it started in 2019. This year, it's happening on 9th-10th December at the Gulmohar Park Club in Delhi. The Mooknayak is in attendance for both days, not only to document and bring out discussions related to the queer community but also as a show of solidarity to all the margins.

On the first day of the event, people talked about important things. Santa Khurai, Dr. Aqsa Shaikh, Kabir Maan, Zayan, and Raghavi, who are transgender, shared their thoughts. They emphasized the crucial need to listen to different voices because everyone's experiences are different.

Santa Khurai, both an artist and activist, shared her life story in a book called 'The Yellow Sparrow.' She talked about being part of the Nupi Maanbi community in Manipur and read some parts of her book. In those parts, she spoke about the challenges of going through a tough time in relationships and the importance of choosing our own families.

There was also a discussion led by Saurabh Kirpal, Jaya Sharma, Dr. L Ramakrishnan, and Swaja Saransh about desire and marriage. They posed some important questions like, "Is marriage the only way to be our best selves? What about having a good home, healthcare, education, and jobs? Can we think about different ways of being? Is there a ranking in getting equal rights for LGBTQ+ people?" This talk aimed to get people thinking and talking about these important topics. Among the many discussions, panels on chosen families and queering of popular culture and media held great value too, as they brought out the lesser-discussed topics into the limelight.

The speakers this year include Arif Jafar, a key figure in the queer rights movement; Hoshang Merchant, a poet, and an important voice for queer rights in India; K. Vaishali, an author and supporter of inclusivity; Niladri R. Chatterjee, a professor and translator focusing on queer stories; Santa Khurai, a transgender woman and secretary of the All Manipur Nupi Maanbi Association; Saurabh Kirpal, a gay rights activist and senior advocate in the Delhi High Court; Seema Anand, an intimacy columnist; actor Kalki Koechlin; and intellectual Gurcharan Das.

The festival will have different discussions and performances, including drag shows, theater, and music, featuring storytellers and activists. They'll also talk about parents' experiences and explore the idea of biological families versus chosen families. The festival aims to provide a space for open conversations and celebration within the LGBTQ+ community.