Representin' at Sydney Mardi Gras

A Pakistani Lesbian and an Indian transsexual represent the Desis in BBC's Mardi Gras photos. The theme for this year's event was "Nations United," a tribute to queers living around the world.

In Pictures: Gay Mardi Gras in Sydney

Weekly Masala Mix

MUMBAI PRIDE 2008 -- pictures and reviews

The Times of India

Ottawa Citizen

365 Gay

DNA

Boston's MASALA garners attention at their booth during the Independence Day festival!
New England Blade

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funds the world's first condom ringtone in India to promote safer sex
Softpedia
Listen to the ringtone here!

Delhi study finds abused wives at heightened risk for HIV
The Telegraph

NGO launches project Sankalp, an HIV prevention program in Karnataka
Mangalorean.com

Director, Madhur Bhandarkar, tosses around idea of a "Bollywood Brokeback Mountian"
Times of India

India's second candidate for an HIV vaccine reaches a milestone
The Telegraph

My Big Fat Straight Wedding - Andrew Sullivan explains why gay marriage is not really "gay" marriage
The Atlantic

An HIV-positive woman who has never shown symptoms of the virus might provide insights into HIV/AIDS vaccine development!
KaiserNetwork.org

Daivd Gere, brother of Richard Gere, subject of documentary on being a gay family in India
Out In India—A Family's Journey
The Times of India

India launches first HIV health insurance
Only Insurance

Health minister stressed need to scrap Section 377
Indian Express

UK study shows that ethnic minorities with similar sexual behavior show different rates of HIV infection
AIDSmap

Manipur's work to eradicate TB is threatened by the state's rising HIV infections
Panos London

Queer Muslims in Chicago! This Saturday...

Poets/writers/activists sarwat rumi & imi rashid have teamed up with Insight Arts to co-found "Akabaka Productions." Akababa Productions will host programs for queer women and genderqueer people of color at the Center for New Possibilities in Rogers Park. "Akabaka" is Bengali for "zig-zag" and is the term sarwat and imi have chosen to describe queer people. The first programming event "akabaka salaams" is geared towards building awarness and community for queer Muslim women of color. There will be a film screening, and in the words of imi, it will be

"followed by a discussion on how to build trust and awareness in the midst of rampant homophobia within the Muslim community. We [sarwat and imi] don't know of too many queer Muslims ourselves, and so we're hoping that this event, and the ones that follow, will hold a safe space and supportive environment for those who need it."

Light Snacks Provided!!
July 19th, 4-6pm, 1505 W. Morse Ave next door to the Common Cup
Event is FREE!

Weekly Mix Masala

The eighth lesbian suicide in Tamil Nadu as of 2008
merinews

Hey fellow Canadians - we should have covered this earlier for you guys: Sher Vancouver, a Sikh LGBT group
BCLocalNews

In the UK, women win the right to children without fathers
UK Times Online

South Asian parents speak up: "We'd rather you were gay with kids."
Salon.com

And the gay pick for the hottest IPL player is...
Mid-Day

Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival starting...yesterday! Screening The World Unseen with Lisa Ray & Sheetal Sheth
courant.com

Another gay film festival, this one in Florida and in early June.
TampaBay

The murder trial of Satender Singh, the gay Fijian killed last year in California, wraps up
Hate Crimes Bill

Sigh. Is this just a conservative attack on British Indians or a real case of sex-selection spreading to the UK?
TimesOnline

The Red Ribbon Express, touted as the world’s biggest mass blitz for HIV prevention, enters Tamil Nadu.
The Hindu

Who knew Bhutan was so... penis friendly?

Weekly Mix Masala

Sholay's Desilicious Love Ball -- 5/17 at Webster Hall
a celebration of the theatrical release of A Jihad for Love
SholayEvents

A Jihad for Love reviews/interviews
Bay Windows
New England Blade

Review of The English Game -- a state-of-England play out of a cricket match; look for the gay Hindu!
The Guardian

Love, actually -- an interview with Gay Bombay author, Parmesh Shahani
Financial Express

SF's Bibi Chic benefit raises over $2K for Middle Eastern LGBT charity
IndyBay

Indian Man Killed by Wife's Female Lover -- yea it caught our attention, too
EDGEBoston

My film shows gender issues -- interview with Pankh director, Sudipto Chattopadhyay
Rediff.com

India's Transgendered: the Hijras -- a well balanced piece and a good read
The New Statesman

In a theater near you (hopefully!)

||Jihad (جهاد‎)|| an internal strife or struggle

||Love|| a feeling of profound, personal attachment

Parvez Sharma's A Jihad for Love has garnered quite a buzz these past few months. Sharma has traveled over the Muslim world exploring the intersection of Islam and homosexuality. The documentary enters twelve countries and films in nine languages; the diverse stories reflect the complexities and struggles of queer voices in Muslim nations. Check out the film's trailer:



We've been antsy about release dates after Sharma confirmed that he found a distributor. Well, fellow Queeristanis, the wait is over, A Jihad for Love will be hitting several cities all over America in the coming summer. Check out the dates below, it's a documentary you won't want to miss!

Philadelphia, PA

Equality Forum May 2, 2008

Miami, FL

Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival May 3, 2008

Great Barrington, MA

Berkshire Film Festival May 15 - 17, 2008

Boston, MA
Boston Gay & Lesbian Film Festival May 18, 2008

Pleasantville, NY

Jacob Burns Film Center May 20 & 23, 2008

New York, NY
IFC Film Center May 21 - June 4, 2008

Norfolk, VA

Naro Cinema June 18 - 22, 2008

Houston, TX
Angelika Houston June 20 - 26, 2008

Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Sunrise Cinemas Gateway June 27 - July 3, 2008

Brookline, MA
Coolidge Corner Theatre June 27 - July 3, 2008

San Francisco, CA
Frameline Film Festival June 28, 2008

Los Angeles, CA
Outfest July 10 - 21, 2008

Columbus, OH
Wexner Center for the Arts July 25 & 26, 2008

Los Angeles, CA
Laemmle Sunset 5 August 1 - 7, 2008

Palm Springs, CA
Camelot Theaters August 1 - 7, 2008

Denver, CO
Starz Denver August 1 - 7, 2008

San Diego, CA

Landmark Ken August 8 - 14, 2008

San Francisco, CA
Landmark Lumiere August 22 - 28, 2008

Berkeley, CA
Landmark Shattuck August 22 - 28, 2008

Washington DC
Landmark E Street September 5 - 11, 2008

Berkeley, CA
JCC of the East Bay September 18, 2008

Official Site

Parvez Sharma's Blog

Weekly Mix Masala

• Trikone's Kulture Kulcha 2008. Tonight, Friday May 2nd! Trikone, San Fransisco
• Ethnography Gone Wild: a review of Parmesh Sahani's Gay Bombay Tehelka
• LGBT film festival, Boston. Screening several South Asian films, including A Jihad for Love
• Parvez Sharma, of A Jihad for Love, blogs about his journey as he screens the film globally Director's Blog
• A review of gay, Hindu, hip-hopper D'Lo and Ramble-Ations:A One D'Lo Show Asian American Press
• Irshad Manji vs. Ayaan Hirsi NYTimes, Jezebel
• A story covering the journey of a couple as a the husband transitions to female NYTimes
• And a debate whether it really is a sign of a good marriage that the couple is still together Jezebel
• Meanwhile, a prize racehorse refuses to mate with the ladies. Maybe he's just gay? NYTimes
• Young gay marriages in the US (well, Massachusetts at least ) NYTimes (Is it like LGBT month at the Times or something?)
• Andrew Sullivan + Obama's approach to the American LGBT movement The Daily Dish
• A symposium cancelled due to concerns from psychiatrists & activists that ex-gay's views would be propogated and considered healthy Queerty

Weekly Mix Masala

Par-tay! A bunch of fagulous desis are hittin' da clubz tonight. You should totally go, ma friend!
Queeristan

Desilicious Spring Fling, NYC Saturday April 19th
Sholay Productions

Profiles on South Asian women working in "arts & letters"
Women's Writing

The BNP, a white-supremacist party, is dangerously close to getting elected in the London Assembly.
Unite Against Fascism

More on London elections: Overview of London mayor Livingstone's history with the LGBT community
The Guardian

Jackie Warner, the lesbian Work Out star, is turning on some housewives
NYTimes

Discussion: Reconciling Sikhism with Homosexuality
AfterEllen

Openly gay Muslim poet, Iftikhar Nasim, speaks on being a Pakistani-American gay activist
Thaindian News

Kya woh hon Gay kamyaab? -- Will India see the end to IPC 377?
Mid Day

Engendered (4/18-4/20) a 3-day a South Asian multi-disciplinary arts festival
Engendered

Impromptu Chicago Meet-Up

Haii friennnnzzz! For those of you who are in Chicago, we'll be meeting up for some bar-hopping tonight in the Boystown area. For once in a blue moon all the writers are together in one city, so if you're absolutely dying to meet any of us (no stalkers please), come join! And if you just want to chill with some queer desis (no adoration of the writers required), come along too. We'll be starting out around

10pm at Sidetrack: 3349 North Halsted Street, Chicago IL 60657.

A gay and lesbian video bar of course! We're bar-hopping so be on time - none of this desi standard time/queer standard time shiz-viz.


image by Miss Loisy

Engendered Species

New Yorkers mark you calendars! Engendered, a South Asian multi-disciplinary arts festival, will be held in Lincoln Center April 18-20. The three-day event focuses on gender, sexuality, ritual, and religion in the context of South Asia.

Engendered includes panel discussions with prominent writers and activists contributing to the emerging South Asian queer identity. Over thirty performing artists will be showcasing pieces that revolve around the notion of gender. Last but not least, Mira Nair, Priya Sen, and Harjant Gill are only a few of the many filmmakers whose works will be screened during the festival.

Engendered is presented by Nayikas, New York's first Odissi Dance Company, in partnership with the Indo-American Arts Council.

Check out the festival program; so many thought-provoking sections, so little time! The deadline for purchasing an all-festival pass has expired, but tickets for individual programs are still on sale. Student rates are available!

Engendered: Gender, Sexuality, Ritual, & Religion

Samanthara

A newly-established theater group in Bangalore is breaking boundaries. The name of the group, Samanthara, brilliantly defines the entire production: a place where each is different, yet treated equally. Consisting of kothis, hijras, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered individuals, each of the twelve members of the cast belongs to a sexual minority. The diversity of the subject matter covered by this group is impressive as well- from portraying queers in historical time periods to a usual day in the marketplace, the audience is drawn into how sexual minorities are affected in many different situations. Through entertainment, Samanthara increases awareness of our community. Now someone go over there and videotape it so I can watch!!

Playing Sexuality

"Gay Hindu Hip Hop- ...

...These 3 things make me but don't allow for one another. This is my attempt at fusing these elements of my being, and others, onto the stage."
- D'Lo

Ramble-Ations: A One D'Lo Show

Weaving personal stories through poetry, music, comedy, and video, D'Lo also presents a parade of characters, real and imaginary. These diverse, flawed characters come to the stage to share their stories...

For upcoming show dates and venues throughout the US, visit D'Lo 's MySpace page.

1001 San Franciscan Nights

Castro was abuzz last weekend at the premier of Club La Zeez. The party featured popular remixes of Middle Eastern, Arabic, Latin, Indian and Persian music. And of course, bellydancers were on hand -- both male and female. Promoter, Saleem Azzouqa, produced Club La Zeez via funding from the New Venture Seed Fund, a project of And Castro for All. Azzouqa has been putting on similar events in the Los Angeles area, however this was the first of its kind in San Francisco.

But the night was not just about hot, dancing girls and boys; a third of the profits went towards the gay Arab film, All My Life. Maher Sabry, famous for bringing attention to the Queen Boat raid in Egypt in 2001, has teamed up with Maraia Film to create a feature depicting the lives of gay men in Egypt. Queeristan will definately keep you updated on this project.

If you happened to miss the party, Club La Zeez will be in LA on April 12 and back in San Fransico the following weekend, April 19. They've got everything from bellydancing to bhangra, who can stay away?

Photo Credit: Rick Gerharter from The Bay Area Reporter

The Bay Area Reporter: Multi-ethnic club a hit

Maraia Film

Club La Zeez's MySpace