At first glance, the PQM’s flag looks like that of any political party. It proudly displays the star and crescent against a rainbow-hued spectrum of reds, purples and blues, depicting a Pakistan that is not simply green and white, but capable of embracing all shades of being and behaviour. But this isn’t the flag of a political party and the acronym PQM stands for the Pakistan Queer Movement, not — as some may imagine — the Pakistan Qaumi Mahaz.
The brainchild of 18-year-old Nuwas Manto, the PQM, in its own words, seeks “respect, equality and freedoms for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community in Pakistan.”
“It depends on what you think a movement is,” says Manto, when asked to explain what the PQM aspires to achieve. “You won’t see us marching in pink underwear, for instance. What we are working towards is something like the Progressive Writers’ Movement who aspire to bring about a mental state of change through writing.”
Writing is something Nuwas Manto does a lot of, whether in publications like the Pink Pages or through Facebook on the PQM official page where free-spirited individuals, ‘queer’ or not, discuss the nuances of sexuality openly. Extremely well-read for his 18 years, he is fond of citing the poetry of Abu Nuwas, from whom the first part of his alias is derived. A controversial Arab poet, Abu Nuwas (750-810 AD) lived during the reign of Caliph Haroon al Rashid and caused no end of scandal due to his poems celebrating homosexuality. As a nod to his literary tastes, the second part of his alias is a tribute to Saadat Hassan Manto.
Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, October 30th, 2011.
Watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3PE30VeGyo on Youtube for an audio-visual experience of this topic.
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What a brave movement, and what a brave individual. Wish Nuwas and and PQM lots of luck
I know. Super brave to come out in the open, especially given the right-winged odds in a failed democracy like Pakistan.
Do we have any readers of Pakistani origin here?
srini i have a lot of online Pakistani gay friends living there and UK, US etc.
I refer them to this site when there are articles of interest like this one and the one on Ifti Nasim. While their democracy is not really functioning our one is not anywhere near perfect. harassment of transgenders and gay people occurs all the time. We’re still quite corrupt and if you have money anything is permissible. If you don’t you can be harassed over small things. so both countries have a long way to go.
I don’t quite agree on the democracy part. In a country that is positively fighting for gay rights the legal way, despite all the corruption, people are seeing progress happening.
On the other hand – could you get some of them Pak friends to write for us ? would be great to see new content from the subcontinent.
I agree Srini that we are miles ahead but small changes that happen in Pakistan should be appreciated.
I have both female and male friends in Pakistan. I will ask them about contributing.
perhaps Nuwas Manto may also be interested in contributing. it would be good to get contributors from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as well.
Hi Srini
One of my Pakistani friends in Pakistan would really like to write for gaysi. So just wanted to ask your help in making it happen. What should he do and who should he contact and how?
Thanks
Please ask her to drop a mail to geldmann281@gmail.com.
I’ll draft her piece onto the gaysi site
oops sorry. ‘him’
@srini, Desi girl, m1sszero…
Guys
thnx alot indeed.. for ur appreciation and concerns.
Well i m a Pakistani. Ritenw i m writing out from Lahore the historic city and regional capital here.
m a medical student 23yrs old.
bdw Nuwas is one ov my best frnds… v meet often to discuss things out.
LGBT community is working quite actively here…
v have the friends from every walk ov life, Drz, Engineers, Judges etc etc
(most ov em cant disclose at this moment)….
the condition here is not that much pathetic as the outer world perceives.
I m bisexual many ov my frnds and even my brothers knw this thing and they r comfortable with me. Yeah.. v do hav debates often but constructive and positive.
A few weeks back there was a national debate on LGBT rights aftr US embassy held an LGBT conference.
Pakistan’s National tv channels launched talk shows which got an over whelming fame across the country. Clerics, human rights activits and journalists wr given full freedom of expression. That came out to b a major break thru.. now ppl discuss this thing in our society.
1 thing.. yeah.. i do agree that v r far behind than India or other nations but v r progressing alot.. the debate has atleast reached our Parliament as well…
Many other guys and galz (some r gud frnds ov mine) r writing on express tribune and other blogs as well…
That’s great to hear SBRshah
If you would like to write something please let the editors and Srini know. Don’t hesitate. It’s great to hear different voices.