A gender-fluid platform

You’ve probably heard about how there’s little a cup of coffee can’t fix. Weaving a concept along similar lines, the city opens doors to a ‘brewy’ evening of poetry, comedy and performance art – in a bid to touch upon issues pertinent to the transgender community. An initiative by the Aravani Art Project, this afternoon of poetry will take place on May 14, and is piquing the interest of city folk by the hordes.

“The idea was to create a gender-fluid platform to share ideas, concentrating on the desire for a genderless world. The project aims at identifying issues, celebrating differences and highlighting problems that the transgender community continues to face   – all through art. This is our first attempt at familiarising Bengalureans about acceptance through a realistic approach,” shares Poornima Sukumar, one of the founders, Aravani Art Project.

Enthusing how there’s a long way to go toward true acceptance of transgender people; Alok Vaid-Menon, a famed  transwriter, entertainer, performance artist and TEDX speaker, who will be presenting a poetry recital at the gig, adds, “My poetry is about my experiences with harassment and discrimination as a gender non-conforming person. I try to highlight the ways in which transgender individuals experience specific forms of violence that must be addressed.”
An opening act by Maya the Drag Queen is also on the cards. “I feel doubly excited because it’s happening. This venue is where I had my debut as a drag queen, so it brings back a host of memories. I wish to cover topics like gender equality, individualism and feminism through performance storytelling. I believe this city makes room for an intelligence audience, so I’m looking forward to it,” says Alex.

Educating the viewers aside, Shanthi Sonu, who has been a vital part of the Aravani Art project, believes this to be a channel to bring about a shift in the response. “I perceive poetry as a tool to express my feelings and femininity. Poetry is an opportunity to express my colourful transgenderism. Apart  from mere tolerance from the society, the community wishes for acceptance and love. There’s an obvious streak of non acceptance from the main stream society. There needs to be more openness. And, that’s exactly what I expect,” she reveals.

Hopeful yet unperturbed about how the edition will pan out, Alok concludes by stating, “I try to perform without expectations. As an artiste, it’s important for me to hold true to my vision and craft rather than worrying about what others will think. I’m hopeful, but wouldn’t want to be stressing over it.”