In recent years, the performing arts world in Bengaluru has made significant strides toward embracing diversity and inclusivity, particularly during Pride Month, when LGBTQIA+ voices and stories take centre stage across most performance spaces.
However, the commitment to inclusivity is often not extended beyond a single month of celebration, feel artists, activists and audience. They say that for the performance spaces to truly serve as welcoming and supportive environments for the LGBTQIA+ community, they must foster inclusivity and representation throughout the year.
The Kannada play Amma Mattu Suhail. | Photo Credit: HANDOUT E MAIL
Pink washing?
Speaking to The Hindu, Karthik Hebbar, a musician, director, writer, actor and activist, known for directing and producing plays on the queer community like Patanga Prabhava, Amma Mattu Suhail and more, says that most performance spaces or corporate spaces celebrate Pride Month as a status check.
“This is called ‘pink washing’ or ‘rainbow washing’. Inclusivity for me must work around the clock, not just for a month. Inclusivity is an abstract idea. Performances spaces, corporate companies or the government may create jobs or work opportunities, but the work environment must be sensitized,” he adds.
Karthik Hebbar | Photo Credit: HANDOUT E MAIL
Karthik also says that staff at performance spaces should be sensitive and open to performers and audience from the queer community. “For example, I can walk into any performance space, cafe or any public space without being questioned, but, the same way if 25 people from the Hijra/transgender community walk in, whether they are the audience or the performers, will they be stopped at the gate or will they be allowed to walk in without being questioned? Staff in such spaces should be trained to be sensitive, which will make a huge difference.“
Karthik says that it is important to hear the voices of LGBTQIA+ community who do not come from a privileged background. “Once, right after the show of one of my plays, someone from the performance space walked up to me and asked, ‘Why do you make only plays on the queer community and not something on straight people?’. I responded saying ‘Why did you never question a playwright like Girish Karnad why he only made plays on straight people and not on the queer community?‘ the person understood and just walked away. I still get the opportunity to perform at that space.”
However, opportunities do not come easily for someone who is not as privileged. “Putting my art or opinion out to the world is much easier than for a queer Dalit person. 95% of the work I do is accepted, but for a Dalit queer person, whose work is genuinely real and good, it is hard to be accepted, which needs to be changed“, adds Karthik.
Sharanya Ramprakash | Photo Credit: The Hindu
At curatorial levels
Meanwhile, Sharanya Ramprakash, a theatre maker who works closely with the queer community, says there is a need for representation of the queer community in curatorial levels. “There are many cultural festivals happening throughout the year, which are open to the idea of having performances by the queer community. But there is no representation at higher levels. A dance festival is curated by one or a few female senior artistes and a theatre festival is curated by senior male artists, there is never an inclusion of somebody from the queer community in the curation committee. You can not call yourself inclusive without having someone from the queer community at decision making levels.“
Performance spaces have to systematically change to be more inclusive, she says, adding that sometimes the queer community is also hesitant and prefers to perform within their own circles, at a particular performance space. “Then there are people from the community who also perform at other places for different audiences. We need to find a middle ground, where all kinds of performances are accepted and spaces are inclusive,” adds Sharanya.
Adithya Suresh, a young theatre person from the queer community, says that a consistent conversation and open discussions is the key to inclusivity. “The pink washing is enabled by both the people in the community and organisations. I am someone who believes that you do not need just a month to talk and do something about the LGBTQIA+ community. It needs to be a consistent conversation that happens wherever and whenever there is an opportunity. I am sure performance spaces started celebrating Pride Month with good intentions, but now it has become a marketing tactic. There are a few performance spaces that have gender neutral performances throughout the year, and not just during Pride Month, but this is not enough,“ said Aditya.
“As artistes from the community, when you are in a performance space you must be open to discussion. If you are comfortable, I think it is important to tell the people around you, be it the staff or artistes, what your pronouns are and how they must address you. Initially it will be hard for a non-queer person to refer to the actual pronouns, but they will make it there eventually. Small moves like these from both sides is how a space can be inclusive,“ explains the 21-year-old.
Transgender rights activist Akkai Padmashali. | Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR K
Reimagining inclusivity
Meanwhile, Akkai Padmashali, a queer rights activist and co-founder of Ondede, says performance should spaces reimagine what “inclusivity” means to them from the context of sexual minorities.
“Performance spaces must begin to implement ways to get inclusive. There have been times where even if we wanted to, Ondede did not get the opportunity to perform at these popular spaces,” she recalled.
She said that most of the performance spaces in Bengaluru are restricted to a class of people, which is the upper class and elite people. “How many times can one see anyone from the working class occupy these spaces? Some of these spaces have rules and standards beyond the corporate level. Of course, we are allowed to hang around and often invited to these spaces to have a chat, sip tea and socialise, but we are never involved in what happens on the inside. They should reimagine what inclusivity means to them from the context of sexual minorities.”
