By Aditi
In a country where patriarchy is deeply entrenched, being a woman is not easy. Being a lesbian is even more difficult. And when rampant pornography defines what a lesbian relationship stands for, it is hardly surprising what a Google image search for lesbian shows up – smooching, petting, kissing… you get the picture. So what happens when a lesbian like me created a Twitter profile and decided to break all the stereotypes associated with being a lesbian? Here is how I broke the internet.
My Twitter profile is of a homosexual woman (@AditiMPride). It invited everyone to ask questions anonymously. These are some of the questions/comments I received.
‘How do you do it?’
‘Do you use fingers?’
‘Can I join you?’
As repulsive as some of these questions were, I dealt them with through putting up these pictures, taken by a friend Monica.
I was asked: How do you do it?
My response: With love.
I was told: You have not met the right man yet!
My response: Met him the day I was born.
People told me: You need the help of baba.
My response: Thanks, but I already have one for life.
I was not alone in my journey. Love Matters (India)– a platform that provides information on relationships, sex and gender equality supported my initiative. I used the #LforLove for all the pictures and as a response to my messages. I was surprised to find that the pictures and my response to the questions went viral on the internet.
The hashtag #LforLove threw the light on the emotions that connect two people, irrespective of their sexual preference. It puts an end to the portrayal of homosexual women as objects of fantasy. So they are accepted for who they are – human beings deserving of love, respect.
“Positive portrayal of homosexual relationships and more so lesbian relationships are completely non-existent in media. We wanted to tackle homophobia against lesbians and create conversations around sexuality and gender. The idea was to create positive narratives that help build empathy, understanding and acceptance,” Vithika Yadav, Head – Love Matters, India, explained the need for triggering such a conversation…
All the pictures were taken by Monisha Ajgaonkar, from the Photo Diary. “As part of the LGBTQ community, this idea spoke to me on a personal level. Lesbians are mostly portrayed as either highly sexual beings or as abnormal girls who are tomboyish and unhappy which is completely unrealistic.”
You can check out full pictures here.