Know your LGBT

A thinktank of gay and lesbian issues is set to launch a certificate course on world Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender history, with a focus on India

Know your LGBT

A thinktank of gay and lesbian issues is set to launch a certificate course on world Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender history, with a focus on India

A four month-old thinktank for gay and lesbian people has thought up a novel way to spread awareness about the Queer community in the country. MINGLE or Mission for Indian Gay & Lesbian Empowerment will soon launch a certificate course on LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bi-sexual Transgender) history, with a focus on India.

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While the course material is still in the process of being compiled, the six month to one year-long free certificate course that is open to everyone, will have both, an offline and an online component. Registrations are currently open on the website, www.mingle.org.in.

Udayan Dhar, 24, is one of the co-founders of MINGLE. Dhar is the editor of online gay magazine, Pink Pages, that was launched soon after Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, decriminalising homosexuality, was repealed, in an effort to address the absence of "gay media that dealt with gay culture, society and politics."

"The idea behind MINGLE is to be a catalyst for change, and provide a platform that connects LGBT groups and NGOs across the country. We've come in to create a more enabling environment for the LGBT cause in the country," Dhar adds.

To that end, MINGLE plans to start a certificate course on the world LGBT history, from medieval Europe to modern America, with a special focus on Indian history. A volunteer team of 16 history students in New Delhi and Mumbai is researching for data that will eventually make it to the course. However, it is early days still, as the team has only been working for the past few weeks. Which is why, says Dhar, they aren't even sure of the duration of the course.

"There are several such courses offered in American and European schools and colleges. India has a long and rich history, in which, traditionally, people have been tolerant of alternate sexualities. This is visible in our scriptures and folktales. We wanted to create a compendium of all LGBT narratives that have existed since ancient and modern times, and make that available to everyone, including straight people, to show how this too is part of our Indian heritage and culture," said Dhar.

"We have approached author Ruth Vanita to be an advisor to the course, once the material has been compiled," he informs us. Also in the pipeline are Coming Out Guidesu00a0-- small booklets that aim to sensitise the reader on the coming out process for queer youths.

Like the LGBT history course, these will be made available primarily online, for free download. The Advisory Board members of MINGLE include noted activists Ashok Row Kavi, Chairperson of The Humsafar Trust, Anjali Gopalan, Founder and Executive Director of The Naz Foundation (India) Trust, Arvind Narrain, Head of Alternative Law Forum, and Rahul Sharma, Co-founder of Queer Campus India Collective, among other queer activists.

Started in March 2011, the thinktank runs on volunteer support and private donations. There are close to 250 volunteers working for MINGLE at present, informs Dhar. Sharma, 25, who helped set up New Delhi-based Queer Campus, a queer-friendly space for students in 2010, recently collaborated with MINGLE to undertake a Youth and Campus Survey among 272 college-going students in 25 colleges spread across different Indian cities. The survey results found that Indian campuses are predominantly homophobic.

"The survey helps create an environment in college campuses where conversations about sexuality can easily be held," said Sharma. In a similar vein, a history course of the sort will help broaden the discussion on sexuality and clear social prejudices, feels Sharma.