Document Type

Article

Publication Title

IIAS Newsletter

Publication Date

11-2002

Issue

29

Disciplines

Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Abstract

When I was active in the women’s movement in Delhi from 1978 to 1990 as founding coeditor of Manushi, India’s first feminist journal, homosexuality was rarely if ever discussed in left-wing, civil rights, or women’s movements, or at Delhi University, where I taught. Among the earliest newspaper reports I saw on the subject were those about female couples committing suicide, leaving behind notes declaring their undying love. In 1987, the wedding of two female police constables, Leela and Urmila, in central India, made national headlines and led to a debate on lesbianism. The women married each other outside the ambit of any movement and with the support of Urmila’s family.

Rights

2002

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