Anupam Sharma, a postgraduate student from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar, is carrying out a mixed-methods study to understand the everyday experience, including challenges, struggles and negotiations, of gay, bisexual and other men who are attracted to men in India, and are above the age of 40. The study has been approved by the institutional ethics committee.

Anupam writes, “Many studies have shown that growing older brings with it a lot of health complications in our community. People tend to feel lonely and depressed, with mental health further affected by ageist and disparaging statements on Grindr^TM and other dating platforms.”

He has already completed the qualitative (in-depth interview) component of his study, with participants ranging from 40 to over 80 years of age.  He is now seeking participants for the online survey, with a sample size of 200 (about 140 responses have been received as of February-end, 2019).

Inclusion criteria:

• Cis (i.e. non-trans) gay, bisexual and other men attracted to men, regardless of relationship or marital status
• Of Indian origin and residing in India at present
• Above 40 as of the date of taking the survey

If you meet these criteria, click here to take the online survey. It will take no more than 15-25 minutes. Participation in this research is entirely voluntary and can be terminated at any point. Confidentiality will be maintained.

Anirudh, a community member, is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in clinical psychology from Christ University (deemed), Bangalore.

His research paper, as part of the course, looks into personality traits of cis LGB individuals. The research study has received ethics approval, as per APA norms, from the Institutional Review Board.

The study seeks to affirm community experiences, and does not pathologise homosexuality or bisexuality in any manner.

Anirudh seeks participants (18 and above) located in Chennai and Bangalore, who are willing to participate in this study.  Participation involves answering a questionnaire that would take about 20-30 minutes of the respondent’s time.  The questionnaire can be administered in English, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam or Hindi.

Please contact Anirudh at anirudhrajan18796@gmail.com or +91 72598 15442 if you are willing to take part in this study, or have any queries about it.

The English version of the interview can also be taken online by clicking this link.

The study is part of Sharanya’s senior thesis being supervised by psychology professor Dr. Chandra Mason, and has received ethics approval from the Mary Baldwin University Institutional Review Board (Protocol #1617-21). The study has taken all steps to protect the rights of research participants.

Inclusion criteria: Any non-pregnant adult (>=18) of Indian origin, regardless of citizenship or current residence.

Incentive: The first 100 individuals to complete the study have the opportunity to receive a Rs. 200 recharge for their prepaid phone.

For more information, go to the information sheet and consent form at https://marybaldwin.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_79Grt2cmpATwGeV

This study aims to understand the facets of discrimination experienced by people in same-sex and other queer/trans relationships  because of their relationship status; and to examine the relationship shared by the parties to such relations between themselves and with other persons/institutions.

The expected results of this study are (i) a critique of Indian laws relating to marriage, based on the real-life stories narrated by individuals in queer/trans relationships, and (ii) a case for recognizing rights of queer/trans people in relationships by using the Constitution as a tool of transformative justice to invoke protections of substantive equality and human dignity.

The scope of the study includes both dyadic (couple) and non-dyadic (poly) relationships that are viewed by the law as falling outside the presumed-cis, heterosexual norm. These could include, for example, relationships of two or more (cis/trans) women, (cis/trans) men, non-binary people, or cis-trans relationships where one or more of the individuals is gay/lesbian, bisexual, pansexual or queer. Individuals who are/were citizens of India, including those currently residing here, and those who grew up in India and are currently living abroad, are considered.

Methods used will include In-depth Interviews, Focus Group Discussions and Observation. The nature of questions to be posed to the participants would be generally open-ended and analytical questions. Responses may be recorded either by audio/video or in writing. Ethical issues of anonymity (when sought), informed consent and confidentiality will be strictly complied with.

Illustrative issues considered in the interview/FGD include openness about the relationship with family, social circles, neighborhood and/or workplace, discrimination faced  in housing, banking, and other areas, financial dependence and violence (physical, sexual, emotional) encountered.

To learn more or participate, email sourav.law@gmail.com or call +91 74064 47531.

From: Bhavishya A. Kalyanpur and Harini G.:

We are students of Pondicherry (Central) University, pursuing our Masters in Applied Psychology. As part of our Masters Dissertation, we are conducting a qualitative research on ‘understanding human sexuality’.

The available research so far has not completely accounted all the complexities of sexuality. Especially there is a necessity for increasing research pool to better understand alternate sexual orientations in order to stop as well as prevent the widespread discrimination surrounding it.

For this we need to interview participants from the lesbian, gay and bisexual communities to understand their life experiences and ensure that their experiences are empirically examined and accounted in building theories of human sexuality.

Therefore we request you to help us do this by participating in our research.

We are using the methods of focus group discussions and in-depth interviews for participants within the radius of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry and online interviews and telephonic interviews for participants from outside this radius due to lack of time.

We would like male and female participants from lesbian, gay and bisexual orientations for our study. Those who are interested please contact us as soon as possible here, through mail.

The interviews will be with the consent of the participants and the time shall be fixed with the participants when they express their interest for participation in the study. All the data collected shall be kept confidential and all ethical considerations shall be met.

For more information on our methods, please click here.

We understand the value of participants’ time and would be honored if you would help us with our research.
For any information or queries or any specific details regarding our research, please do not hesitate to contact us through mail or through phone. Also please forward this mail to interested persons who are of lesbian, gay or bisexual orientations.

Please mail us at sexualfluidity14@gmail.com

THANK YOU

LABIA

invite you to the release, sharing and discussion of the report

Breaking The Binary
Understanding concerns and realities of
queer persons assigned gender female at birth
across a spectrum of lived gender identities

Saturday, May 11, 2013, 5 pm – 9 pm

at

Dhyana Ashram
New No 25 Old No 13, Mada Church Road
Mandavelipakkam (off Santhome High Road)
Chennai  600028.

The discussion will be in English and Tamil, and is being hosted in collaboration with Chennai-based groups The Shakti Resource Center, Orinam, Nirangal, RIOV, and the East-West Center for Counselling

Background:
In 2009-2010, LABIA initiated a research study based on 50 life history narratives of queer PAGFB (persons assigned gender female at birth), and aided by discussions with queer LBT and trans* groups. 11 of us (many of us members of LABIA) did the interviews, transcripts and initial analysis, and 4 of us have been doing the further analysis and writing.

Key findings have been presented at different conferences and some of the data has been published. Now we bring you the full report.

Through this study, we explore the circumstances and situations of queer PAGFB who are made to, or expected to, fit into society’s norms around gender and sexuality. We look at their experiences with natal families and in school; we chart their journey through intimate relationships and jobs; we attempt to understand what happens to them in public spaces, and how they are treated by various state agencies; we discover where they seek and find support, community, and a refuge from the violence and discrimination that mark far too many lives.

Most significantly, this research has given us new insights into gender itself, which we feel are crucial additions to the current discourse in both queer and feminist spaces. Finally, the study flags areas of particular concern, and highlights some necessary interventions.

We ourselves are amazed at the richness and complexity of our findings and are impelled by the need to share these as widely as possible with all queer and feminist groups and individuals, activists and academics, all people working specifically with LBT persons as well as broadly in the areas of gender and sexuality — and of course all of us who are interested in knowing more about our selves.

So do join us for an intense, engaging, stimulating afternoon of presentations in English and Tamil, with time for questions and discussion (and most certainly for tea and snacks).

Hoping very much to see you there, and looking forward to your comments and feedback!

LABIA

Media contact for information on the study: Chayanika Shah (LABIA) may be reached at 98335-38611 and chayanikashah@gmail.com.

For directions to the venue: Call 98415-57983 (English) or 98406-99776 (Tamil)