During the initial phase of the pandemic, when the world suddenly went into lockdown, Angel, who identifies as a non-binary bisexual person, found himself alone in Bengaluru, separated from his family and partner. he found himself looking at bold type, A series released in 2017 that follows the lives, loves and careers of three close friends – Jane, Kat and Sutton – set in the glamorous world of women’s magazines.
Angell, who grew up in a conservative Catholic family, by then had found it difficult to accept her own queerness. “I knew I was attracted to men, for sure. But I would also have serious crushes on women,” he said, though he pushed it down when the idea came up. But about Kat’s character arc forced Angel to reflect on his own sexual orientation.
Kat, played by Australian actress Aisha Dee, comes out twice in the series – first as lesbian, and then as bisexual, a revelation that was supported both times by her friends. “The comforting thing was that she had a label, and came out as a lesbian. Then, she finds out she is bisexual and comes out again,” says Angell, who is due in December 2021. Bisexual and came out as a non-binary person in early 2022.
Angel’s story is one of eight interviews, in podcast format, currently available on Project Almira, a recently launched website that connects and documents stories of queerness and coming out during the pandemic. Interdisciplinary artist Avril Stormy Unger, who launched the website, says it has its origins in her own coming-of-age story. “The pandemic revealed a lot about my own queerness and sexuality. I think that culminates in early 2021,” Averill says, explaining that this was the case with many queer people. This got her thinking late in life, and she started looking for stories of people who had gone through a similar experience, only to realize that “not much information is available in the Indian context”. Was.”
“I felt the need to talk with others who had similar experiences and what this revelation led to, how it felt safe to come out when the world was unsafe, what happened next, what was the grounding What a help,” she continued.
Avril Stormi Unger | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
As she sought out more community and found that there were many other people who had gone through a similar experience, she felt the need to document it. In a very heterosexual world where many queer people often struggle with internalized homophobia, “we need these stories for visibility, for knowing that we are okay, for normalizing being queer.” Avril began looking for funding and received it in late 2022 from the Amra Odbhuth Collective, a queer and trans collective and community center in West Bengal, India. “He managed to get some money and gave me a part of it for this project.”
She spent three months interviewing people who came out during the pandemic. “I was intentionally looking for these stories,” says Avril, who found them in many places: strangers she met on dating apps, people in the larger queer community she was already friends with, people based on her Used to approach her after the performance about her own coming-of-age story, telling her it resonated with her.
Eight of the 10 interviews she did eventually lead to Project Wardrobe, a name chosen because she liked the term. “It’s relevant to India, and everyone pronounces it differently,” she says with a laugh, adding that most of the people she interviewed were paid to be part of the project. She hopes to continue this collection with more stories in multiple formats: audio, video, text, and imagery. “I’m getting a bunch of inquiries from people who want to contribute stories,” she says. “I’m looking for more funding to do that.”
Arti (they/they/it), a queer person from Goa who was interviewed as part of Project Almirah, says what he likes best about the project is the visibility it gives to queer people. “There are a lot of queer people like me who have struggled to openly tell and express their story,” says Artie, who came to Facebook during the pandemic. “It’s empowering, and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to share my story,” he says, a sentiment Angel mirrors.
“Giving queer people a voice to tell their story is unique,” Angel says, adding that knowing that others have gone through similar experiences makes one feel less isolated. “After reading and listening to the stories, I felt a lot of solidarity and connection,” he says.
Project Wardrobe can be found at https://projectalmirah.com/.