Queer Pride in Mumbai

by Juliet Blalack · 2010-02-01 11:52:00 UTC
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Azaad shirtTwo entrepreneurial women opened the first pride shop in India last month, with the goal of creating a store that's part retail and part community space. The store? Azaad Bazaar, and it's hoping to create a little social change, too.

"It’s not just a gay pride store, it’s a socially conscious store. We source bags from earthquake victims in Kutch, handicrafts from AIDS patients and organic cotton from slum rehabilitation groups in Mumbai," store owner Sabina told The Hindustan Times. The store also has a notice board connecting customers to queer events and support groups.

The store, which opened in Mumbai, sells shirts and mugs with a rainbow rickshaw logo (immortalizing the  pride rickshaws like the one pictured), the campaign rally call "Against 377," and the word "Azaad," in six different languages and the colors of the rainbow. The "Against 377" paraphernalia is a reference to the criminal code that outlawed homosexuality in India, and was struck down last year by Delhi's High Court.

Sabina says the store has straight customers who enjoy the "Your Handcuffs or Mine" shirts and the leather jewelery with spikes and studs. Browsing the website, Azaad Bazaar seems like a mix between a pride shop and a novelty store, with a dash of products specific to Indian culture.

Before Sabina and her partner, Simran, opened their store, they sold pride shirts at queer rights events under the brand name Jailbird. Sabina explains that they saw a gap in the market because, according to her estimation, there are perhaps 20 million middle-class queer people in India.

“We have gay people who walk in with their families, and their nephews and nieces race around the store. It’s a very safe space,” Sabina says.

And while I wouldn't take home a "Your Handcuffs or Mine" t-shirt, there's nothing more fun than walking into a new safe and open space for the queer community. If I were in India, I'd be checking out Azaad Bazaar right along with an upcoming film dubbed "Bollywood's Brokeback Mountain."

Photo credit: Azaad Bazaar (used with permission)

Juliet Blalack writes about LGBT rights, with a focus on international issues. She previously lived in Cairo, Egypt.
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