Queerala

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Queerala, a registered community-based Organisation (CBO) for Malayali LGBTIQ people, [1] gives adequate support to Malayali persons who belong to the sexual and gender minorities. Queerala originally started in May 2013 as a secret Facebook page where closeted LGBTQAI+ community members met online. [2] Since its start of operations, Queerala has been an active platform for the rights of the LGBTIQ+ community [3] [4] in Kerala and India and focuses on various awareness campaigns on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity/Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC). Queerala's representatives have been marking its presence, in areas of literature, art, cultural spaces, and academic discourses as well as conducting case studies on issues pertaining to sexual orientation and gender identity. [5] They also focus on sensitization on SOGIESC inclusive healthcare services, educational curriculum, workplace policies and local self-governance.

Contents

Major operations [6]

Queerala, with its association with Human Rights Friendly lawyers, support LGBTIQ persons who seek legal aid for various human rights concerns.

Peer counselling and helpline

Queerala's helpline is operational and aids queer persons to get connected with peer persons, counselors, psychiatrists etc. Queerala has helped start multiple LGBTQAI+ support groups in colleges. By 2018, two such recognised student groups were set up: [7]

1) Umeed in IIM Kozhikode

2) Coming Out Club in the Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod.

Queerala Helpline : +91 7012503861 [8]

Case studies and research

Queerala encourages and support research enthusiasts, who follow ethical practices of research methodology, to take up qualitative studies pertaining to LGBTIQ lives

Engagement with faith groups

Considering the challenges faced [9] by most LGBTIQ persons from the faith and sexuality, Queerala engages with various faith based collectives like NCCI (Nation Council of Churches in India) for dialogues on Inclusive Churches, [10] Faith versus Sexuality etc.

Projects

Wiki Loves Pride: LGBT Edit-a-thon

A one-day program [11] organised in collaboration with Wikimedia India Chapter, the edit-athon enabled its participants [12] to include LGBT related articles and terminologies to Wikipedia, both in Malayalam and English.

Homomorphism [13]

Homomorphism I

Homomorphism is an art attempt by team Queerala to bring the less depicted notions of same-sex intimacy. The first edition of homomorphism hada round 70 art works by 5 Malayali Queer artists

Homomorphism II

Homomorphism II [14] was, a follow-up to the first edition of the art project by Queerala, and the second edition focused on same-sex desire and the social positions associated with same-sex lovers. Held at Kerala Museum Homomorphsim II had 7 participating artists.

Quest 2016

Quest 2016 [15] was a Two Day National Seminar, held at Center for Development Studies, Trivandrum. The seminar had dialogues [16] on Queer lives and paper presentations by researchers from across India

Q-Loid 2019

Q-Loid was a One Day LGBTIQ Film Festival organized by Queerala in July, 2019. Along with queer-themed film screenings, the event also had panel discussions on related topics. The festival venue was Kerala Museum, Kochi.

Etymology

Queerala gets its name from Queer + Kerala. The community emphasises on creating awareness [17] in society regarding LGBTIQ issues, with focus on queer lives in Kerala.

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gopi Shankar Madurai</span> Indian indigenist and politician

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The following list is a partially completed compilation of events considered to have a profound effect on the welfare or image of Tamil sexual minorities. The use of bold typeface indicates that the event is widely considered to be landmark:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bindumadhav Khire</span> Indian activist and writer

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 in Kerala</span> List of events

Events in the year 2013 in Kerala

K R Sunil is a visual artist hailing from Kodungallur, Kerala. He is an alumnus of the College of Fine Arts, Thrissur, where he developed his passion for photography. Sunil's work primarily focuses on human life; often ethnographic portrayals set against the backdrop of social and environmental issues. The recurring themes in his art documentation include the sea, maritime history, and climate change. The powerful, investigative representation of common people's struggles in a complex society through his work intents to inspire social change and bring attention to important issues. Sunil has received multiple awards for his series on various socio-relevant topics. For instance, his series titled 'Chronicle of a Disappearance,' which explored the dwindling ponds of Kerala, won him the India Habitat Photosphere Award in 2016. His 'Vanishing Life Worlds' series, which depicted the lives of the old port city of Ponnani, was exhibited at the Kochi Muziris Biennale in 2016. Additionally, his 'Manchukkar - The Seafarers of Malabar' series, which documented the last surviving group of dhow workers along the Malabar coast, was exhibited at the Uru Art Harbour in Kochi in 2018 and at the Clarinda Carnegie Art Museum, USA in 2021, while also getting printed by a Swiss publication the same year. Sunil's series 'Home' explores the impact of climate change on coastal homes and livelihoods. It was part of exhibitions by the Kochi Muziris Biennale Foundation at Kochi and Alappey in 2021. Furthermore, his photography series titled 'Chavittu Nadakam: Story Tellers of the Seashore' sheds light on the lives of Dalit Christian performers of the age-old art form Chavittu Nadakam and how climate change affects them. He has participated in the curatorial exhibition of Mattancherry by artist and curator Riyas Komu. Mattancherry photography series gazes the subaltern livelihood with a concrete ethnographic document to the contemporary cultural historiography Kerala. Mattancherry Island is a major hub of many waves of sea root connections from various parts of the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 in Kerala</span> List of events

Events in the year 2023 in Kerala

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<i>Queerala v. State of Kerala</i> Indian LGBT Rights Case Law

Queerala &Anr. versus State of Kerala&Ors. (2020) is an ongoing case of the Kerala High Court, where the Bench has directed the State Government of Kerala to implement stringent measures against involuntary conversion therapy and formulate guidelines pertaining to conversion therapy based on an expert committee's study that incorporates insights from queer community-based organizations and relevant stakeholders.

References

  1. ↑ "A get-together of families of LGBT people". The Hindu. 6 July 2017. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  2. ↑ "The Rainbow Nest – Via Kochi". Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  3. ↑ "Rainbow out in the sky". The New Indian Express . 11 September 2013. Archived from the original on 15 September 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  4. ↑ Harikrishnan, Charmy (7 August 2016). "Why CBFC refused to certify Malayalam film 'Ka Bodyscapes'". Economictimes.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 19 June 2017– via The Economic Times.
  5. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 16 August 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ↑ "Here's how Queerala is slowly becoming the most important space for LGBTIQ+ individuals". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  7. ↑ "Here's how Queerala is slowly becoming the most important space for LGBTIQ+ individuals". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  8. ↑ "QueerALA". queerala.org. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  9. ↑ "After years, Maya prayed in a church - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  10. ↑ Kuriakose, Jijo (11 February 2017). "Church Responses to Sexuality – Consultation". Queerala.org. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  11. ↑ Staff Reporter (17 November 2014). "Wikipedia to hold edit-a-thon on LGBT issues in Kochi". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  12. ↑ "Wikipedia to hold edit-a-thon on LGBT issues in Kochi". The Hindu. 17 November 2014. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  13. ↑ "Exploring the many hues of homosexuality". The Hindu. 24 November 2015. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  14. ↑ Ameerudheen, T. A. "As India's top court decides on Section 377, Kochi art show helps understand same-sex intimacy". Scroll.in. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  15. ↑ "Quest 2016". Quest 2016. 16 December 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  16. ↑ Staff Reporter (17 December 2016). "Seminar flags off dialogue on queer issues". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  17. ↑ "A Gathering with Much Difference". The New Indian Express . 1 September 2014. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
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