Sisak—India’s first silent LGBT short film will debut at Wicked Queer: Boston LGBT Film Festival in April. Written & Directed by Faraz Arif Ansari, Sisak follows the story of two men in Mumbai whose eyes meet on their regular train commute.  Burdened with the larger social (and legal) scorn the two are unable to say anything to each other as their love grows in silence. The chemistry between lead actors Jitin Gulati and

Posted: March 18th, 2017

“I couldn’t be the out and proud leatherman I am today without the support of my family.” Ali Mushtaq wrote on Facebook recently, alongside a photo of himself with his grandparents. The 27-year-old Pakistani-American is the current reigning Mr. Long Beach Leather. He’s lived with his grandparents since the age of 11 and came out to them when he was 15.  He started exploring the LA leather scene in college and didn’t  hide

Posted: March 11th, 2017

“It is official, Mr.Pahalaj Nihalni put the final nail in my coffin,” filmmaker-producer Jayan Cherian posted on his Facebook page in response to a letter received by the Central Board of Film Certification about his queer themed film Ka Bodyscapes. The Indian regional censor board claimed that  “(sic)… the film is glorifying the subject of gay and homosexual relationship, nudity accentuating vital parts of male body (in paintings) in closed shots in

Posted: March 8th, 2017

The Kansas City Star has published a searing editorial taking #45 to task for his silence in last week’s shooting of three men in a bar and death of Srinivas Kuchibhotla.   The editorial mentions that the silence is beginning “to verge on something more disquieting”.  Authorities have not yet called the shooting a hate crime, instead saying they are investigating to see if it was motivated by bias. However, witnesses have reported that the shooter hurled racial slurs

Posted: February 27th, 2017

“These anti-trans bathroom bills are not really about bathrooms, it’s about whether or not we believe trans people have a right to exist in public space.” Laverne Cox spoke out on MSNBC in the wake of the administration’s latest oppressive move, withdrawing guidance issued by the Obama administration that found that denying transgender students the right to use the bathroom of their choice violates federal prohibitions against sex discrimination. She layed out

Posted: February 24th, 2017

We’ve been encouraged by the rallies, protests and overwhelming surge in civic engagement across the country, even during these dark times.  And, if you’re feeling even more depressed by Hindus for Trump and other desi Benedict Arnolds, take comfort in these images selected by Buzzfeed  They feature an assortment of creative phrases and puns, many of which are very familiar to us.  Of course, our favorite is the hot guy with the

Posted: February 17th, 2017

Read Aleksandr Chandra’s interview and conversation with Samir Narang, a doctor by day (at Weill Cornell Medical College) and drag queen by night. You’ve seen Lal Batti host and perform at previous Sholay parties and Yuva’s upcoming Back to School bash.

Posted: September 7th, 2016

The world has witnessed many tragedies in recent weeks, from Orlando, Dhaka, Istanbul, Baghdad, and Medina to St. Paul, Baton Rouge and Dallas.  There have been many stories of the victims and survivors of these tragedies, including one which has touched us immensely –  the life of 27-year Iraqi rapper, artist and performer Adel Euro , (Adel El-Jaf) who died in last week’s bombing in Baghdad.  Adel was self-taught and started

Posted: July 8th, 2016