Acceptance is something we all desire. To be appreciated and loved obviously comes after that. Queer writers R Raj Rao and Hoshang Merchant reflected upon how this very basic desire (that is often taken for granted by others) is something that does not come easy to queer writers. All this and much more was discussed at one of the sessions called Whistling In the Dark at the recently concluded Jaipur Literary Festival 2012.



Hoshang Merchant threw light on the dilemma gay writers are often faced with. In his opinion, earning your bread and butter, doing household chores and finding a lover, takes a toll on people from the LGBT community. And to top it all queer writers have it more difficult in life. “It is very difficult to be noticed if you are a marginal. So when I was first called a gay writer I was at least happy to be noticed,” commented Merchant, who has authored books like Forbidden Sex, Forbidden Texts: New India's Gay Poets, Yaraana: Gay Writing From South Asia and The Man Who Would Be Queen: Autobiographical Fictions.



R Raj Rao, another queer writer, whose book Boyfriend was one of the first books on gay fiction written in India shared, “I was always interviewed about my sexuality but not about my work.” Rao has always believed that as a writer you should experiment with every form. “I have written a biography, play, poetry and novels and am happy about being able to try out all forms of literature.” R Raj Rao has also penned books titled Whistling In The Dark : Twenty-One Queer Interviews and Hostel Room 131.



At the event, Hoshang Merchant, made a rather controversial statement that received  mixed reactions. He said, “Gender is genre. A gay should not write straight literature and a woman should always write in a woman’s voice. This is what I hate about Vikram Seth. He is my arch rival.”



With more LGBT literature being released, read and appreciated in the country, it is clear that the society is fast changing and there is a market and a ready audience for this stream.