HYDERABAD: “While roses are viewed as a centric symbol of love, they are no different if you are straight, gay, lesbian or bisexual,” read one of the quotes at the art show, Aks: Reflections of Queer Hyderabad on Sunday.The art show, organised by a group of individuals from Prathibimb, an organisation working for LGBT rights, was the first of its kind in city. While many shy away from talking about issues relating to gender and sexuality, Aks proved a perfect platform to exhibit, portray, display and talk openly about such issues. Many gay and lesbian persons spoke of their ‘coming out’ stories. “When I told my mom I was sexually attracted to women, she said she already knew it as I have always been with girls,” said Jayathi Mathur, who has worked with several LGBT organisations and been a part of international conferences. Explaining how homosexuality is not unnatural, Mathur said, “It is a personal choice. It is not about your sexual orientation but who you are as a person that matters.”The art show focused on how various people expressed their perspectives on ‘being queer’ through photography, painting, drawing, sculpture, prints and poetry. Entries not only came in from Hyderabad but also from Kolkata, Bengaluru and Mumbai. While some art works were subtle, mystical and delicate, others were loud, nude, dirty and reactionary. At a poetry reading session, Hoshang Merchant, a professor at the University of Hyderabad, who is one of the first academicians to come out publicly as gay, read his poems amidst a huge round of applause. Jameela Nishat, secretary, Shaheen Women’s Resource and Welfare Organisation, expressed her views on sexuality though her Urdu poems. A Hijra monologue was read out by Pritham Chakraborty while Usha Rani, founder and director of Sannihita, read out her Telugu poem. According to Rani, “There is a lot of life in this community. People have conflicting interests and one has to respect whether you are straight or queer.” Murali Raman who came from Mumbai to exhibit his artwork said, though there are gay parades in Mumbai, such events wouldn’t have been possible in Mumbai.Discussing how this event was a ‘jump start’ for the LGBT community in Hyderabad, Andy Silveira, one of the organisers, said they were planning to have such events more often.
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