Pride Month 2024: Queer Artist Swastika Rajput Recalls Her Mom Suggesting Hormonal Injections To Cure Homosexuality, Narrates Their Journey of Acceptance

It was a few years back that we started witnessing a widespread celebration of the LGBTQ community for a month-long festival called Pride Month. It stands as a beacon of hope, a celebration of the kaleidoscope of identities within the LGBTQ+ community, and a solemn acknowledgment of the struggles endured and those yet to overcome. Celebrating the festival, Yuvaa released a fresh episode of their YouTube show, ‘Be A Parent, Yaar’, featuring Queer artist and poetess, Swastika Rajput with her mother for an honest and moving conversation.

In the Pride Month special episode of ‘Be A Parent, Yaar’, Swastika and her mother took a deep dive into the evolving language of sexual identity while discussing various Gen-Z terms that have emerged to describe the spectrum of sexuality. Swastika opened up about her journey of self-acceptance and coming out in the open, offering profound insights into the challenges and triumphs of navigating one's identity in today's society. Her mother also recalled how she bridged the gap with her daughter when it came to homosexuality and how they transitioned from revolt to understanding gradually yet beautifully.

During the conversation, Swastika recalled the time when her mother, grappling with societal prejudices, suggested hormonal injections as a 'cure' for her homosexuality. Bringing light on the harsh reality many LGBTQ+ individuals face, Swastika shared her mother’s reaction, “I met mom after a month, she said to me, ‘Beta hormonal injections bhi aate hain, theek ho jaaogi tum.’ (Hormonal injections are available, you'll be alright.)”

Further in the episode, Swastika also shared her mother’s reaction to one of her videos as they didn’t speak for two days, and later suggested her daughter, not do anything that she would regret. The mother-daughter duo also reflected on the journey of building their relationship and reaching a place of understanding and acceptance despite the initial challenges. Expressing her unwavering support for Swastika, her mother said, “Mei isse samajhna chahungi, aage kya karna hai, meri zaroorat pade toh mei iske saath hu. (I would like her to understand what she needs to do further, if she needs me, I am with her.)”  For the unversed, Media Entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Yuvaa, Nikhil Taneja launched a weekly chat show, 'Be A Parent, Yaar' which aims to bridge the gap between parents and children by encouraging open conversations about their differences in values, beliefs, and behaviors. By tackling tough topics and fostering a deeper understanding, this show seeks to strengthen parent-child relationships and help them navigate conflicts and misunderstandings, ultimately bringing them closer together.