Celebrating Pride Month: Empowering LGBTQ+ community through art and advocacy

CHENNAI: Emmy-nominated actress and transgender advocate Laverne Cox said, “We are not what other people say we are. We are who we know ourselves to be, and we are what we love. That’s okay.” Over the past few weeks, the city has been abuzz with various events in honour of Pride Month. The organisers behind these events wanted to empower people to know more about the community.

To celebrate Pride Month, the director of Goethe-Institut, Dr Katharina Gorgen, had the idea to organise a hand-block printing workshop. When they approached Divya Vigneshwaran, the founder of Hastha, an ethnic foundation specialising in hand-block printed apparel and accessories, she enthusiastically agreed to host it. Held on May 26, the four-hour workshop provided participants with the opportunity to design outfits they could proudly wear for the Pride March on June 30.

“We put in a lot of thought and designed a whole range of blocks specifically for the workshop, including wooden blocks featuring pride flag designs and others tailored to the community’s specific interests. For the colour palette, we didn’t just stick to rainbow colours; we did our research and added more colours. 88 people participated in the workshop, and we all had such a blast,” says Divya Vigneshwaran.

The workshop was organised in collaboration with Goethe-Institut, Alliance Française, and Orinam, aiming to add an extra splash of colour to the Chennai Pride Parade. “We provided t-shirts, veshtis, stoles, wooden blocks, and printing materials, and participants created vibrant, unique outfits. Not only did they enjoy the process, but we also found it immensely fulfilling. The creativity, collaboration, and community spirit that filled the room were things we all cherished. It was a heartwarming experience to celebrate diversity and self-expression in the most beautiful way possible. Many people conveyed their intention to wear those outfits for the Pride March,” she reminisces. Divya noted that many participants wanted to advance their block printing skills.

Sahodaran, a non-governmental organisation working with the LGBT community, has been hosting impactful events in the city for the last few days. Jaya from Sahodaran emphasises that in recent times, there has been increased awareness about the community and the issues they face. “Generally, people are aware of trans women, but there’s less awareness about trans men and other identities. People need to understand and be aware of this diversity. Awareness shouldn’t be limited to just one month; it should be ongoing throughout the year. However, since June is dedicated to uplifting LGBTQ+ voices and there is increased dialogue around this time, we have organised more events this month,” says Jaya.

She notes that nowadays, the corporate sector is actively seeking to understand the LGBTQ+ community and create inclusive workplaces. “They’re asking about facilities for hiring LGBTQ+ individuals, new policies for trans employees, and how to handle psychological and discrimination issues,” she says.

“In addition to corporates, there are awareness initiatives in colleges as well. Two days ago, I visited Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development and engaged with students from the MSW department about the importance of inclusivity. Our current focus is on creating enabling environments in corporates, and schools. We need continuous dialogue, sensitisation programmes, and similar initiatives to achieve this,” Jaya mentions.

On June 23, Orinam’s Quilt, featuring spoken word and poetry with LGBTQIA+ themes, took place in the city. Jaya stresses that these events generate extensive discussion and exposure for the community. “By organising these events, policymakers and government officials will become familiar with our initiatives and better understand our needs. We aim to drive positive changes within the community,” Jaya concludes.