Queen Victoria refused to believe women were capable of such ‘ghastly’ behaviour. So when it was suggested back in 1885 that Indian law be adapted to criminalize lesbianism as well as male homosexuality it was rumoured she was horrified and rejected the idea outright. For Indian lesbians this story remains a droll commentary on the benefits of not being taken seriously. But it is precisely such invisibility that is the biggest obstacle for this super-marginalized community.
‘We paralyze ourselves with anxiety,’ says Sita, 27, from Delhi. ‘There are so few references to what we are, what we feel, that when you are growing up you start thinking, either I’m going crazy or everything’s already crazy.’
