Queer Campus’s eagerly anticipated Carnival is back! The event is a fundraiser for Namma Pride. Hang out with queer youth on November 9 at Safina Plaza on Infantry road.
Queer Campus Bangalore was started in 2011, by a few college folks who wanted a safe space for queer students in colleges. Eventually, it started to cater to young queer people in general, whether or not they were in college. It’s a group meant to provide a safe space and a community for young queer people. The weekly two-hour meetings are where they all come together and talk.
Aniruddh, the finance head for Namma Pride and the facilitator for QC said “I find people who I can relate to, knowing that there are others who have experienced what I have, really calms me. But there are also a lot of people whose experiences I cannot relate to and that broadens my horizons.” The Carnival is an annual thing that QC does. “It was started with the intention of having a day of fun and celebration. We have stalls and performances and what not.
Basically, it is what a carnival or fair is, except with a focus on queer youth.” Says Aniruddh who goes by they/them pronouns.
They talk about how they envision the future of queer rights in India and around the world, what reforms they would like, and how they can achieve them as a young generation. Sasha who joined the QC a year back, adds, “It has helped me make so many new queer friends and learning about the intersection of identities has helped me further discover myself. It’s also a space I can lean towards when things aren’t going very well at home or outside, regarding my identity.”
This is platform for youngsters to discuss different topics adhering to queer people. “We also talk about the impact of the queer community on political, social, economical and cultural spaces and vice versa. We also provide legal and therapeutic help to the queer community” says Kajal, a gender fluid person who unlearnt all types of prejudices in QC.
Mansi who attends the meet ups regularly says, “Other than the regular meetings, the members sometimes meet informally and go shopping or do other entertaining activities. Queer Campus is a big happy family where judgments and prejudice are the only uninvited guests.” Brinalini says QC increased the dating pool for her, and she and her girlfriend bonded in QC meetups.
“Heterosexuality is being shoved down our throats for generations with no proper representation by media about people like me. QC guided me to discover more about myself. Sexuality and gender is not black and white. It’s a spectrum. After joining QC I saw people like me and people that are different from me and yet we accept each other and help each other to discover new things about ourselves and grow as people. I feel Understood, and loved” says Anushka.
