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 class-based 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.

KEYWORDS:

• Identity
• sexuality
• India
• intersectionality
• heteronormativity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Vikram Kapoor

Vikram Kapoor is a Lecturer in Marketing at Goldsmiths, University of London. He won the 2019 ACR-Sheth Public-Purpose Dissertation Award and the 2021 AMS Review-Sheth Foundation Doctoral Competition for Conceptual Articles. His research focuses on consumer identity projects and coping, stigmatized subpopulations, self-gift giving, rituals, festivals, religion and consumption, and arts-based research methods. His works have been published in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, Academy of Marketing Science Review, Consumption Markets & Culture, and Marketing Intelligence & Planning.