The Invisible Lives of Indian Lesbians: An Overview of Literature

Abstract

This study builds on the growing body of research on queer studies in South Asia, with a particular focus on India, by examining the existing literature available on the lesbian experience. Current studies on queer sexuality predominantly focus on male homosexuality and lesbian discourse has often found itself on the periphery of gender studies and queer studies in the South Asian context which points towards an apparent gender divide, heteronormative patriarchal structures, and lesbian erasure. South Asian lesbians endure numerous and intersecting forms of oppression, including those based on race, caste, class, gender, sexuality, socio-economic background, etc. The invisibility and marginalization of lesbians within the nationalist, patriarchal, and religious contexts is multidimensional, and there is no space for any kind of sexuality that is based on women’s desire for other women, which is further proven through the limited representation lesbians get in literary writings and popular culture like film and television. By drawing on a theoretical review of the current literature available, this research develops an understanding of and provides an overview of the marginalization and invisibility experienced by lesbians in India. By exploring its historical, social, and cultural background, the study interrogates why such hegemonic structures exist even now. Through this analysis, the study aims to ask questions and initiate conversations on the violence of heteronormativity on South Asian lesbians – how they resist institutions that negate their sexuality, and what propels them to move from a place of marginalization and invisibility towards acceptance and healing in order to build viable non-heterosexual life possibilities and a queer tomorrow.