For Years, I Lived In Pieces. Embracing My Queerness Made Me Whole.
Loneliness led me down the path of self-harm, which almost cost me my life. Healing began when I came to terms with my queer identity.
BodiesQueer History
#RewindingPride
Rewinding Pride is queerbeat's social media series to document important and defining moments from India's queer past. Available soon on the website.
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Latest Posts
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Sayantan Datta 07 Nov 2025
Checked-out bosses and check-box approaches—why LGBTQIA+ sensitisation workshops fall short
Although these initiatives create some change, they are throttled by uneven implementation and poor follow-ups.
Work -
Ekta Sonawane 03 Nov 2025
“If we don’t address our differences now, they will become more suffocating later”
Sunil Mohan R on his cricketing journey, activism past and present, and his hopes for the queer future
Queer Rights -
Sayantan Datta and Ekta Sonawane 29 Oct 2025
A trans person’s struggle for dignity doesn’t stop even when they die
An in-depth look into the deaths of two trans women–one in Kolkata and another in Goa–reveals how trans people face systemic violence in death, as they do in life
Bodies -
Arya 24 Oct 2025
For Dalit-Bahujan queers, coming out is a violent experience
In the week before I came out, I broke out in pimples, lost appetite and sleep, developed diarrhoea, and a migraine—all symptoms of the violence that visibility brings
Caste -
Parth Rahatekar 17 Oct 2025
National Award-winner Flowering Man rejects tired tropes of queer cinema
Made as part of Soumyajit Ghosh Dastidar’s degree at the Film and Television Institute of India, the film chronicles the transformation of a man through the eyes of his daughter
Culture -
Manish Gaekwad 15 Oct 2025
Kissing boys behind curtains: Growing up as the queer son of a Calcutta courtesan
Nautch Boy chronicles Manish Gaekwad’s coming of age, set against the backdrop of a kotha
Bodies
Explore key themes
A central idea in each story.
Must Reads
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Sayantan Datta 23 May 2025
Why gender-neutrality won’t fix India’s broken rape laws
India’s new criminal code fails to protect LGBTQ+ folks from rape. Everybody agrees it’s a problem. Few agree on the solution. How did we get here?
Law -
Dhiren Borisa 02 May 2025
What the YouTuber who recorded ‘gande log’ at a Delhi gay spa didn’t show you
Gay spas in Delhi are a sanctuary for many men, offering rare spaces for them to find desire and kinship.
Culture -
Ekta Sonawane 07 Feb 2025
‘My last wish is to die fair and pretty’ : These Hijra women think Glutathione will heal more than their skin
The quest for acceptance and professional success is driving some Hijra persons to fairness treatments that are unregulated and can be risky.
Bodies -
Sayantan Datta 24 Jan 2025
In desi gay porn, warriors and construction workers are both sexy. But in wildly different ways
In desi porn as in real life, caste often determines which bodies are considered sexy and worthy of pride.
Caste -
Naina Bhargava 24 Jul 2024
Love and loss in Multai
Queer love is often forbidden in small town India. Two women, separated by caste, class, and religion, dared to defy the order.
Caste -
Chintan Girish Modi 06 Jun 2023
Queer Literature for Children is Changing Minds in India
Indian parents and community libraries are turning to queer literature for children to help them be sensitive to varied sexual and gender identities.
Culture
Youth Storytelling Project
A cohort of eight brilliant young queer writers and artists from diverse communities document what it means to live as a queer person in India
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The Rainbow Awards for Literature & Journalism
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The Laadli Media & Advertising Awards for Gender Sensitivity
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ACJ Awards Special Mention - Social Impact Journalism