With longform content like podcasts and audiobooks becoming a popular form of media consumption, it is only right that we recognise queer podcasts that delve deep into the queer experience in India and globally, of course! These queer podcasts give listeners authentic insights into the LGBTQIA community in India and abroad, help us understand and dissect queer media and keep us up to date with progress in queer rights and the legal surroundings of this vibrant community! This Pride Month, educate yourself and tune into the best queer podcasts!
Queer Vibes Only by Navin and Farhad
Queer Vibes Only is a sequel to the wildly succesful “Keeping it Queer” an Indian LGBTQ podcast that lasted for an impressively lengthy two years' and discussed a wide variety of topics, including asexuality, body positivity, homosexual pageants, and the subtle allure of teenage romances. Guests from the Indian gay community's A-list appeared on every program. Podcast host Navin Noronha's irreverent humour takes the show to a new level, making even the most mundane topics feel personal and hilarious. Tune into their latest rendition with “Queer Vibes Only”!
Rainbow Diaries
According to Rainbow Diaries, the decriminalisation of Section 377 marked a significant milestone for the LGBTQIA+ community in India in 2018. "Rainbow Diaries" is India's first LGBTQIA+ radio program, and hosts RJ Mandee and RJ Kabir wanted to celebrate this newfound freedom by launching it. Imagine it as an online tea party where everyone can share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It's a place where people can get together to celebrate India's thriving LGBTQIA+ community while also having open conversations and laughing.
Queering Desi
Do you want your podcast to include a little more cultural exploration? This is where "Queering Desi with Priya Arora" excels. Writer and activist Priya Arora brings the South Asian LGBTQ community together to share stories, artwork, and ways of living. From Durga Gawde's exploration of gender fluidity to a host of other subjects, "Queering Desi" provides a voice for voices that are underrepresented in popular culture.
Intersectional Feminism—Desi Style!
Pride Month is all about diversity, which means it's time to acknowledge how LGBTQIA+ identity influences other social movements. Nishtha and Pragya's "Intersectional Feminism—Desi Style!" explores the important idea of intersectionality. They go into its many manifestations and the reasons feminism is incomplete without it. If you want to become a more effective ally and champion for equality, you must listen to this podcast.
Gender Reveal by Tuck Woodstock
Focussing on those who do not identify with a binary system, this one explores queer topics without treating anybody as an expert. You'll have a firm grasp on the significance of pronouns, find trans-tokenism in Hollywood to be laughable, and understand why comic books might be the perfect platform to discuss gender identity. Stay tuned for a very illuminating discussion with Torrey Peters, the first transgender author to ever be nominated for the esteemed Women's Prize for Fiction in 2021.
Shuddh Desi Gay
In Shuddh Desi Gay, we meet Yogi and Kabeer, a homosexual couple who are changing perceptions wherever they go. They are in a serious, monogamous relationship and are from ordinary, middle-class homes in India. "Shuddh Desi Gay" (Pure Desi Gay) is a podcast, and it provides a new take on gay life in modern India! They discuss the ups and downs of being gay in a changing culture, as well as their individual and romantic histories.
Queer Conversations with Kaydee
Want some straight talk? "Queer Conversations with KayDee" is a wonderful start. Two regular LGBTQIA+ people steal the show by opening up about their lives and starting talks that everybody can relate to.
GayBCD
Do you want to know more about the LGBTQ+ experience in modern India? Come watch "GayBCD" with Sunetro Lahiri and Farhad Karkaria. Delving into the intricacies and truths of LGBTQIA+ identity in contemporary India, this podcast takes listeners on a voyage of discovery.
Hoodrat to Headwrap
Highlighting intersectional queer politics, this podcast offers a Black queer perspective on life's various colours. The most current episode's discussion on Asian hatred is relevant and enlightening on many fronts. From various historical and geopolitical perspectives, each episode is well researched. The hosts bring a diverse range of topics that you may have ignored when perusing your Instagram feed to your attention without making it seem like a chore.
MasculiniTea
"MasculiniTea" provides an alternative view of the LGBTQIA+ community. Listen in as transmasculine people open up about their experiences, struggles, and interactions with masculinity in this podcast. The podcast powerfully explores themes of identity and cultural expectations in India, celebrating its diversity and queer culture!
Azaad Awaaz
Listen to "Azaad Awaaz" on Audible Suno to find out more about the LGBTQIA+ community. Featuring inspirational interviews honouring the right to be one's own, filmmaker Mozez Singh hosts this 10-part series. Hear the hopes, fears, challenges, successes, and pleasures of the LGBTQIA+ community and supporters in India.