Just as the world observes the West-created LGBTQIA+ Pride month this June, the LGBTQIA+ community in Hyderabad in India hosted the first-ever Interfaith Pride Fest in India, localizing the global push for respect of people no matter their SOGIESC and, yes, religious/spiritual inclinations.
For Patruni Sastry (SasWhoMaa), the curator of the Interfaith Pride Fest, the event celebrated intersectionalities. “It was deeply moving (and) insightful to celebrate the intersections of faith, queerness, and identity.”
Various activities were done during the event, including:
- A panel discussion involving artists Chinmayee, Avijit, and Vaibhav who discussed how classical dance has been a spiritual anchor and expression of identity for people like them.
- An Odissi drag fusion performance by Khemaya, a transgener woman from Odisha, who seamlessly blended classical movement with contemporary storytelling.
- Discussion on de-religionizing yoga practices featuring speaker Anthony for Seeing Yoga.
- Religious conversion featuring Kiran Raj, a transgender man and founder of Star Collective, who shared his journey of converting from Hinduism to Christianity.
- Discovering how atheism and agnosticism can also be tools of self-affirmation for queer folks, featuring Deepti Sirla.
- Panel discussion on special marriage panel, featuring Akki and Supriyo, who spoke about their unique rituals in same-sex marriage ceremonies.
- Performances and talks by Ina, Emma, and Bebo who “added layers of queer futurism, trans Muslim representation, and the psychological depth of faith-based trauma and healing”.
- Dance performances by Aaina, Khemaya, Chinmayee, Vaibhav, Avijit, and SasWhoma, dancing to Cherishnu, “symbolizing how movement and art remain a form of sacred expression”.
For SasWhoMaa, the event should resonate with many in the LGBTQIA+ community “especially in today’s times where we are constantly navigating identity, belief, and community.” And in the end, particularly for the LGBTQIA+ people in Hyderabad, the event “marked a turning point in how we see interfaith dialogue as inclusive of queer voices, not separate from them.”
This event was supported by Bagheen Café, Mobbera Foundation, Rubaroo, and Humans of Nirvana.
