When I was made aware that my college has a queer collective, I felt really welcome,” says Haseen, a first-year student at Hindu College, North Campus.
No matter the campus, the presence of designated groups—specific to either interests or communities—can offer a sense of belonging to students. For queer students like Haseen, who seek a safe space in their college where they can openly express themselves, having a Queer Collective (QC) makes a major difference. Until a few years ago, Delhi University colleges did not have QCs—the association was considered part of the Women’s Development Cell. However, from the past two years, students have started demanding that authorities formally recognise QCs as an independent body. While a few colleges have managed to form a QC formally, others are still operating without recognition.
Building a refuge
More often than not, conversations that centre around identity are seldom discussed openly among high school students. So when making a smooth transition from school to college, it is important for students to be part of a group where they can engage in dialogue around rather complicated concepts of gender, sexuality, identity, etc. “When we started going to college, there was no forum for us to discuss such issues and meet individuals who felt the same way. We thought that when our juniors come, we’d want them to be in a space where they are comfortable,” shares A (*name changed on request), coordinator of the Queer Feminist Collective (QFC) of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College (SBSC), Sheikh Sarai, a collective that was formalised a week ago.
Apart from building a safe space for queer individuals in the college, QCs play a pertinent role in sensitising people who are not a part of the community. “The culture [in college] was really toxic. There were instances of verbal homophobia. A lot of people didn’t think they belonged, so this gave a lot of visibility to the idea [of opening a queer collective],” shares Vishudh Verma, founding member, Queer Straight Alliance (QSA) of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies (SSCBS), Rohini.
These QCs also function as a grievance redressal cell in a number of colleges. “If a queer student faces harassment or is bullied, they can bring their grievances to us and we provide solutions as to how to proceed and register a complaint with the administration,” explains Saberi, member, Hindu College Queer Collective. These cells also provide resources such as contact numbers of queer-affirmative therapists and gynaecologists.
Promoting the cause
From film screenings to open mics, QCs organise various events from time to time in order to keep the discourse around queerness active while contributing to community building within the college. For instance, the QC of SBSC regularly organises a reading bubble to promote queer texts; Hindu College QC organises regular ally sensitisation workshops; etc. Talks with experts are also an integral part of such activities. “One doesn’t need to be an ally to understand basic things about queer identity such as pronouns. The idea is to spread awareness about this for both queer and others who don’t belong to the community,” shares Anushka from QSA of SSCBS.
A space for allies too
Since the primary aim of any queer collective is to create a safe space for queer individuals, should the collective only comprise queer students? While most QCs keep their doors open for people irrespective of their gender orientations, they ensure the core team only comprises queer members. The QSA of SSCBS, Rohini, has particularly focused upon building an alliance between queer and non-queer members—hence the name Queer Straight Alliance. “The idea behind adding the word ‘Straight’ in the name was to invite allies who work for the community but reserve admin spots for queer members,” says Verma.
“When you talk about a movement, even if it is your [queer individuals] fight, you can’t exclude other members of the society,” he concludes.
Lending a helping hand
Family members of queer students may not always be accepting towards their identity. This only makes it difficult for students to avail monetary assistance. Queer Collectives also help individuals in need through fundraisers. While some QCs such as the Miranda House Queer Collective setup aociety-driven fundraisers to help people directly, others donate to organisations working with the community. For instance, Queer Straight Alliance of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Students recently donated to Pink List India’s Pride Fundraiser.