Reflecting back on Pride 2022
June 28th, 2022
Today marks the 53rd anniversary of the Stonewall riots, the resistance that spearheaded the modern queer rights movement in the US. This movement continued to gain momentum globally as more countries adopted these concepts into their local context to aid their queer liberation movements. You can learn more about Stonewall here.
We live in an age where queer visibility is at its peak in centuries. This has allowed significant support for queer liberation but has also invited resistance and criticisms from folks who would have otherwise been indifferent to demands for queer representation and inclusion. This means that more and more people choose either of the extremes and have thoughts on the topic that would otherwise not have concerned them.
This is why it might seem like queerphobia in Nepal and globally, both online and offline seems to have grown significantly. This is true because of the rise in anti-LGBTQ+ bills around the world. But this is also a response to the basic human tendency to resist any new information and perspectives.
Despite the visible resistance from the queerphobic crowd, social media has truly grown to be a safe space for queer folks, especially in Nepal where queer-friendly and queer-affirmative spaces, especially outside the major cities, are few and far in between. Forums like Reddit and Twitter and messaging apps like Discord, Signal, and Telegram have become the go-to source for many queer folks in Nepal, especially young queer people.
In a world of increasing online hate, online divide, and surveillance capitalism, it is therefore important to preserve the internet for the haven that it is for many queer folks.
Safer-I, was established with a vision to promote inclusivity, individuality, and information among marginalized groups like the queer community and the disabled community. And if the resistance and hate that I saw towards the queer community this Pride month is any indication, our vision is nowhere near.
The internet had become the sole means of communication and functioning once the Covid-19 pandemic. Being confined to one’s own homes allowed people the opportunity to explore their identities and accelerated the process of one coming out to themselves and then others. This plus the fact that the pandemic had halted chances of having a lively physical parade meant that everyone went all out during the Nepali Pride Parade this year.
Nepal Pride Parade is organized every second Saturday of June by Queer Youth Group. I, along with my colleagues Samyoga and Sonika, attended the parade. This was the first pride parade experience for all of us. We were excited about it. We had researched our plans earlier and had bought some pride accessories to show off our pride and support for the queer community.
The number of people that I got to see and meet during the parade exceeded my expectations. I was amazed to meet a few of my cishet friends who were there to support their queer friends and were fierce allies throughout. I heard stories from couples who experienced their first pride together. I exchanged glances at others who had their first parade jitters.
For a day that started gloomily and then got extremely hot just before the parade commenced, the weather for the rest of the day was cool and breezy. Most people were adorned with their prized pride accessories. Multiple flags, banners and posters could be seen. Some with sincere declarations of acceptance and resistance. While others with witty and zany taglines and slogans.
The parade commenced from Maitighar sometime after 10 and the parade proceeded towards Baneshwor. The whole walk was filled with chants and roars calling for the death of patriarchy, cisnormativity, and heteronormativity. Large speakers played queer anthems by popular queer artists like Lady Gaga and Lil Nas X. People sang along loudly and danced to those songs. After the parade reached Baneshwor, the performances began. Those performances like drag performances, poetry recitations, and singing performances, ranged from amusing and heart-warming to thought-provoking.
I was able to talk to multiple queer people regarding their coming out journey and expectations for the queer movement going forward. And somehow or the other, the conversation reached the topic of social media and the internet and its role in educating queer people and others alike while also forming a community for marginalized groups like the queer community. Many raised questions regarding the lack of enough disabled-affirmative facilities during the parade, deservedly so. For example; the loud noise and crowdedness can trigger sensory stimulation in someone in the neurodiverse spectrum. But there were other disabled-affirmative facilities like a sign language interpreter available too.
Overall, the parade was highly successful and was an exciting opportunity for me to show off my pride while also learning diverse perspectives and connecting to queer folks from around Nepal.
Before the parade, the Safer-I team had shared some tips on how non-queer folks can support queer folks in their internet journey and how queer folks can stay safe online. Following the parade, the Safer-I team was to work on its insight series for June. Safer-I insight series usually focuses on a particular topic and creates awareness regarding a particular topic. For the month of June, no topic could be more relevant than sharing ‘Queer Experiences in Digital Spaces.’
And so, the Safer-I team has reached out to five queer people belonging to diverse identities. The team has made sure to take a more intersectional approach when it comes to gender, sexuality, and ability. Personalized questions relating to each participant will be answered by the participant in an audiovisual format. The videos were shared on Safer-I’s official social media. The videos can be accessed via this document.
This video series was a learning experience for us when it comes to our understanding of the evolution of queer rights, online queer activism vs offline queer activism, and the queer activism in Kathmandu Vs. other parts of Nepal, the evolution of queer representation, acceptance of queer expression, access to the online Nepali queer community, and the extent of disability inclusion in the online queer rights movement in Nepal.
Exposing myself to queer events and talking to and working with other queer people from diverse backgrounds allowed me to gain a better understanding of my role in the queer liberation movement. It also allowed the Safer-I team to be more aware of the advocacy projects that we tie ourselves with and how they can be more intersectional in their approaches.
And even though pride month is ending, Pride never ends! Happy Pride 🏳️🌈
