Woman paints over gay pride art
Socially navigating life in India with a partner was one of the toughest things I’ve had to do. People would write to me and tell me that and that, in turn, gave me courage. I felt it was important to be visible, because so few women were out of the closet. Later, it was only because I was working independently as an artist that I could be as open as I was about my sexuality I didn’t have to answer to anyone. I had to navigate very tricky social and cultural waters in India as it wasn’t accepting of alternate sexualities when I moved there in 2006. Over the last decade, I have lived in India and America. Share a few memories of the challenges you and your partner had to face in the past? Stonewall 50is a celebration of how far we have come, but it’s also a necessary act of solidarity. We live in a bubble in New York, so it’s easy to forget that so many people around the world still live in the closet, out of fear. The parade is a remarkable symbol of authenticity and freedom.
It has also shaped my humanity and sense of justice. I grew up in a place where coming out was not an option, and it has shaped who I am as an artist and writer. Through my art and writing, I am a part of that queer narrative.
#WOMAN PAINTS OVER GAY PRIDE ART LICENSE#
It not only gives us license to celebrate ourselves, but we also honor all those sacrifices that have been made in our name. The parade is about community, empathy, friendship, sacrifice it recalls the blood, sweat and tears, of lives lost and found, throughout our modern history from hate and discrimination, subjugation and intimidation, invisibility and shame, of AIDS, Stonewall and countless protests and alternatively, of hope, coming out, acceptance and eventually the promise of happiness. 1_7 – (Chapters of the Day): Raag Bhairav (Daybreak), “Blood-red, let go of my arms and kiss my cheek/Muladhara/Red” ektaal: 4’17. I joined Pride rallies and got involved in campus activism. The queer community on campus provided a safe haven within which to share and explore my identity with others who were having similar struggles.
As Indians, we are raised to think about community first over our individual wants and needs. Being from an immigrant Indian family made it an exponential challenge. I struggled with coming out publicly for many years. My family immigrated to America from Kuwait in 1997. While I am ecstatic about that, we should never forget the roots of America’s Gay Liberation, which is the Stonewall riots of ‘69. The Gay Pride parade has become a joyous spectacle, awash with bright colors and smiling faces. What does the Gay Pride parade signify to you personally and what thoughts are evoked by Stonewall 50? I’ve done it while being a queer woman from the subcontinent, no less.” My greatest triumph has been to fully embrace my identity and bring it into my art, working professionally in the creative field for almost 15 years in Mumbai and New York.
As she says, “The parade is a remarkable symbol of authenticity and freedom. She discovered the parade was about a different kind of community, friendship and support and that gave her courage. Sharmistha Ray, an artist and TED fellow, has memories of many Pride parades. I joined Pride rallies and got involved in campus activism.” “We should never forget the roots of America’s Gay Liberation, which is the Stonewall riots of ‘69. Sharmistha Ray Stonewall 50 and Gay Pride – One on One with Sharmistha Ray