Uncloseted

Abstract

This collection of six poems is based on my reflections on growing up as a gay man in a heteronormative society where same-sex indulgence was outlawed until recently. The previously present anti-sodomy statute in India, political and religious concerns, and classbased social structures that converged to form an unfavorable atmosphere for gendered minorities, serves as the backdrop for these introspective poems. The poems express issues around my sexual identity formation, the intersectional oppression I faced due to my sexuality, the challenging internal conflicts I encountered when I was in "the closet," the dread I endured for years and that I still embody, and my intense desire for freedom and an authentic identity.