After being driven away by anti-homosexual stigma in their churches, some queer Indian Christians are slowly returning to the fold – helped by some churches’ efforts to make safe spaces for them. Illustration by Jose.

Queer Christians in India cautiously rebuild relationships with their churches

Driven away by anti-homosexual stigma, some queer Indian Christians are slowly returning to the fold – helped by some churches’ efforts to make safe spaces for them

Joshua Muyiwa is a Bengaluru-based poet and independent writer who works on stories around art and culture, food and drink, race and sexuality, besides working with film festivals and museums. His work has appeared in a number of Indian and international outlets. Though, he likes to imagine he spends all day streaming the latest television shows.

Published on:

21 Jul 2023, 2:45 am

"I was brought up in an over-the-top Christian household," Romal Laisram, a 37-year-old queer journalist and editor in Bengaluru, said. Sitting at an outdoor restaurant on a cloudy evening, sipping on glass tumblers of filter coffee, Romal told me about growing up in Kotagiri, a mountain town in Tamil Nadu. His father was Meitei, a theologian studying to be a pastor, and his mother a Tamil-Malayali school teacher. His family said a prayer every night before bed, part of "devotion time". At these night-time prayers, Romal and his three brothers were assigned a verse from the Bible and had to lead a discussion around its themes.

Romal described growing up as part of a reformist, modern Protestant movement. His Christian values were bolstered by his schooling too. "It was a hardcore Christian school," he said. "Every school assembly was within the school's church." There was always a roster of pastors and theologians speaking about being a good Christian.

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India