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What Do They Call Us?
Two years ago this month “Dostana” was released and made big news. The community was clearly divided in its reaction; some loved it and some absolutely hated it. Some said it caricatured being gay, and used all the stereotypes. I loved the movie. I thought it was ground breaking in many ways.
You are freaking awesome Shri. Thanks for sharing this. I came acrosss thirunangai from hearing Kalki’s usage in intevriews over and over again. Never knew that it was a newly coined word. While coming out to my parents, I kept using it all the time rathen than using aravani, which I personally found a little crude too (may be just the sound of it though I know it has deep connections with Aravan from Mahabharat). As a semi-literate thamizh, I find your translations very nice. Thanks for doing this.
Thank you Rashmi. ‘ThiruNangai’ is indeed a beautiful term. The TG community in Tamil Nadu doesn’t mind the term ‘Aravaani’ though. But nobody likes the term ‘Ali’ – that is outright derogatory.
BTW, The terminology is a result of combined effort by a bunch of LGBT folks from Chennai, not just me 🙂
Thanks for taking the time to read and for your kind words.
Shri – I second Rashmi, This is “freaking awesome” and makes one truly wonder. I very rarely communicate in my native tongue unless I am back home and even with my parents for the most part, I speak English. Thus I have never considered alternate definitions of Queer terms and what is lost in translation between languages.
But some of these terms that the LGBT folks in Chennai have derived are indeed, beautiful!
Thanks for sharing! And I do hope others will share the Queer nomenclature in their own languages to debate, derive or do away with 🙂