Any widespread crisis has added terrors for the marginalised. For folks in the queer community too, the lockdown induced by the pandemic and the tardy return to status quo has been weighted with an anxiety that goes beyond a looming uncertain future, health scares, and a quest for the next pay check. Locked down in spaces where they don’t necessarily feel safe or comfortable has been a challenge that has forced many to coil up catatonically for the sake of fitting in.
This year, the month of June—globally celebrated as the LGBTQIA+ pride month, a season of celebration and self-assertion—went by in pandemic-induced lockdown, as the pressure of social distancing forced most to disconnect and disengage from one another. It has resulted in a burst of creative expressions of the queer community.