 "Anwesh Sahoo")
Last month, a TV journalist asked 20-year-old Anwesh Sahoo whether he'd like to be referred to as his father's son or daughter. Sahoo was surprised and a little insulted at the journalist's ham-handed efforts at courtesy. "I am a gay man," says Sahoo. "Why would I identify as someone's daughter?" By representing India at the Mr Gay World (MGW) 2016 contest, this 20-year-old engineering student is seeking to dispel such notions and bring sexuality and gender choices into mainstream discourse in India.
Unlike beauty contests of different types for heterosexuals, Mr Gay World focuses on choosing articulate men who can be good spokespeople for their community. Every contestant conceives a social campaign to execute in his country after the contest is over. Fitting Out, Sahoo's campaign to bring awareness among adolescents about the many different gender and sexuality choices open to them, seeks to close a gaping hole in Indian education.
Awarded the highest marks among all the entries in the MGW 2016 contest, Fitting Out aims to connect with NGOs, schools and communities to spread awareness about the simple fact that straight men and women are only a part of the rainbow spectrum of gender/sexuality choices possible. "When I was a kid, I was so confused about my identity. I wondered why I was bullied, why I had no interest in boyish pastimes," says Sahoo. "I didn't even know that homosexuality existed." Fitting Out aims to clear such confusion. Sahoo has even created a glossary of politically correct terms for parents to refer to when talking to their children. This A to Z of gender and sexuality includes words like "ally" (a hetero friend/supporter of LGBTQI individuals); "gender fluid" (someone who can identify with a different gender at different times); "questioning" (someone who's unsure of, or is exploring his/her sexuality or gender identity) and the gender-neutral pronoun "ze" (example: Ze went to the movies)."It's crucial for teens to be aware of their choices, That's why I now plan to mount pressure on NCERT to bring out textbooks on this subject and ensure that it is a part of every school's curriculum," he says.
The Odisha native talks about how liberating it was for him to finally come out of the closet. "Also, because I'm open about my sexuality, I believe I'm also educating my family, friends and neighbours about how to accept and live with these differences," Sahoo says. Today, as the only openly gay student in IIIT (International Institute of Information Technology) Delhi, Sahoo is breaking boundaries by simply being who he is. "As the only gay man in a men's hostel, I was a little anxious at first, but the students accepted me easily. In fact my college has been a huge support to me, accepting me for who I am and even allowing me to take a semester off to prepare for MGF 2016," he says.
Participating in MGF 2016 has given Sahoo a readymade platform in India to talk about LGBTQI issues. Though he was the youngest participant in this year's contest, held in Malta this April, Sahoo finished in the top 12. "It was a life-changing experience to be surrounded by so many accomplished contestants from across the globe," says Sahoo. Moreover, it helped him realise that being gay is equally difficult and equally easy for everyone, regardless of where they're from. "The only dignified way to fight the universal stigma of homosexuality is through proper education and awareness," he says.
Sahoo is toying between studying apparel design and joining an acting school after he completes his engineering degree. "Who knows? I might become Bollywood's first gay actor," he quips. "But whatever I do, I know I'll always carry on working towards making our future generations more open to gender and sexuality choices." For as he says, MGW 2016 has taught him that for society to open up to a wider definition of gender and sexuality, people like him have to define a new normal for future generations to follow.
