Indian mythology is full of queer and gender-bending deities and Gods that we grew up reading stories about or hearing of through tales from our elders. There was nothing taboo in this storytelling; it was nothing short of magical. The shifting of energy and identity of these magnificent characters and the symbolism associated is what we took away. Yet South Asian LBT women lack visibility today and have suffered oppression for generations, primarily due to colonialism and, of course, patriarchy. Women – and queer women in particular – seem to have been left unrecorded, erased and censored from our history.
So, I thought I’d share my favourite queer deities and also spotlight some of the South Asian LBT women smashing it all over the world.