In normal parlance, ‘queer' translates as ‘anything that is odd or unusual'. However, the term has of late come to connote the LGBT (lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender) community. Obviously, the attitude has spawned controversies, with the LGBT community striving hard to fob off the uncomfortable tag. Lending a helping hand is Shobhna S. Kumar, a socially-committed individual who, for the last two decades, has dedicated herself to social uplift and human rights advocacy. In a bid to create more visibility and acceptance for the LGBT community in mainstream society, Shobhna has recently launched “Queer-INK”, India's first online bookstore for everything queer! Excerpts from a tête-à-tête with Shobhna about this novel endeavour of hers:
How did your involvement with the LGBT community begin?
I was raised in Fiji and educated in Australia and the US and always felt empathetic about the various problems and issues that face our society. Spurred by a desire to do my bit, I've been working towards social uplift and human rights advocacy; especially people with developmental and/or psychiatric disabilities, the elderly, asylum-seekers and refugees in Australia and the US for the last 20 years. Eight years back, I came to India and have been spearheading/managing projects for HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, health and nutritional issues for women and children, legal-aid organisation, MSM studies etc. Two years ago, I happened to observe the LGBT community and their problems closely and felt that something proactive needed to be done to bridge the divide that exists unnecessarily between them and the mainstream society.
Why this unconventional medium?
There were myriad reasons starting off with the very fact that it is unconventional! Having worked with the LGBT community, I realised our society needs a kind of interactive platform with the community whereby they can understand, empathise (with) and, if possible, help solve their problems rather than relegating them to the sidelines. The idea also sprang from personal experience when I, a voracious reader, found it almost impossible to find any kind of gay literature in mainstream bookshops. Either they wouldn't stock it at all and the rare few that did would not exhibit them openly making it mighty difficult for a reader to access the same.
What, according to you, spurs this reluctance?
Primarily ‘the fear of raised eyebrows'! While we have developed a lot as a country, the LGBT community and issues related to them still face a lot of prejudice. I won't be cynical and say that things are not changing – they are – but the rate of acceptance is quite slow. We still find many people frowning upon books about bisexual politics or straight parents with gay children. Books on Indian erotica are still mistaken for porn! Remember, the word ‘queer' is also used to denote anything non-mainstream and non-patriarchal apart from the sexual non-conformities. So even books about menopause or women's physical health are shoved beneath the coffee table rather than being proudly displayed on it! It is this attitude that I wish to change by bringing queer topics into the mainstream so that they will be comfortably talked about, thus bringing about a positive social revolution of sorts.
How easy or difficult was it for you to create the broad-based selection of books?
It was undoubtedly a challenge! The major distributors did not require much convincing, but the smaller ones were quite reluctant to co-operate. “We don't do such things” was their common refrain. But then ultimately, my perseverance paid off!
What exactly can one acquire on www.queer-ink.com?
Well, the easiest answer is: log in and see for yourself! We have a wide array of books. But, in a nutshell, Queer-INK offers affordably priced books on a wide spectrum of subjects drawing upon all aspects of the queer experience. Genres include anthologies, biography, children, culture, family, fiction, health, history, poetry, politics... We have books in several languages including English, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and plans are afoot to translate popular titles into other regional languages.
Any voices of dissent?
Thankfully, none, unbelievable though that may seem! In fact, we're getting a steady stream of interested buyers, especially from the metros and the response is very heartening.
What's next on the anvil?
As I said, we're looking to translate a lot of regional queer manuscripts/books into English and other regional languages, so that they find a wider audience. Also, plans are afoot to hold queer-book exhibitions in all the major metros. Via Queer-INK, we seek to empower those who have the courage to stand apart from the crowd and still be recognised as an individual with the same fundamental and inalienable rights as others. We hope that this platform bridges the divide between the queers and the mainstream so that both can co-habit in a civic manner.
