One of the main purposes of hosting an event like Dirty Talk is to not only be inclusive but thereby sensitise everyone involved. Be it the the participants, the audience, the venue or for that matter, even the celebrity present.
And yes, nothing works better than humour to put your message across.
MJ, founder of Gaysi, an online platform for news and events about the LGBT community says, “Not everyone lives a tragic life in the queer community so it’s important to laugh about it all.”
She refers to the Kashish film festival, India’s biggest LGBT film festival. “Look at the entries, each story ends with the gay protagonist killing himself or turning straight to live a hollow life… We wanted to change that perspective,” says MJ.
Gaysi organises Dirty Talk, an open-mic event that encourages gay and straight performers to participate and talk freely about all things taboo. The first session began in January last year. “We choose popular pubs as venues to keep the tone casual,” she says. Past venues in Mumbai include Big Nasty, The Little Door, Apicius and Three Wise Men in Mumbai.
Yup…we be famous!
