For way too long now, India’s mainstream media has underreported and often misreported the identities, stories and issues of LGBTQIA+ persons. The coverage continues to ignore us and the language dehumanises us.
All of this shapes how society perceives us and talks about us. In fact, most of Indian media has been complicit in perpetuating historical homophobia, transphobia and queerphobia in society. That is partly because LGBTQIA+ persons remain underrepresented, especially in leadership positions, or don’t feel safe in coming out in their newsrooms. This influences what kind of stories are told, how they are told, who is telling them, and who gets covered.
queerbeat aims to change that by creating a space—a beat—for LGBTQIA+ persons to be seen for who they are in the media and as tellers of their stories.
We explore queerness everywhere—in culture, politics, art, crime, education, love, law, science, sex, sport, disability, drugs and more.
We hope to serve as a resource for LGBTQIA+ persons and their allies, and set an example for other media outlets to cover queer people responsibly.
queerbeat partners with regional, national and international media outlets to reach diverse audiences, hoping to generate better conversations about LGBTQIA+ persons in society, and to strengthen our fight for LGBTQIA+ rights in India and South Asia. We believe that conversations can change cultures.
queerbeat has a lot to say but it is also here to listen.
We are committed to producing journalism that is meaningful to LGBTQIA+ persons and everyone else. To be able to do that, we need your support. queerbeat invites you to fund its journalism, even individual stories, and is open to exploring collaborations. Write to us at hello@queerbeat.org
