Pride as Presence

Written By: Anjaly Mukkada Edited By: Malaika Noorani Graphic Designer: Pannaga Y P It is ironic that the people of this country, known for their diversity and acceptance, are often quick to reject anything that falls outside the norm. Society is equally quick to dismiss ideologies and identities in the name of religion or by claiming that they are ‘something invented in Western countries.’ But when will we realise that, even after decades of fighting for independence and yea

The Clinical Closet | Doctor's Desk Written By: Nidhi Bhoyar Edited By: Malaika Noorani Graphic designer: Vedant Gunda For some communities, health anxiety isn't only generated by a stray headache or a search engine it is generated by policy. Since the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Act, 2026 came into force, several trans patients describe a new, specific kind of dread layered on top of ordinary health worries: anxiety not about what's wrong with the bo

Written By: Ahona Sur Edited By: Saptarchi Biswas Graphic designer: Ahona Sur Lesbos: A Long Summer of Belonging For more than four decades, the Greek island of Lesbos has occupied a unique place in the queer imagination. For lesbian travellers across the world, it has promised something greater than turquoise waters and Mediterranean sunsets. It has offered recognition, belonging, and a rare sense of freedom rooted in history itself. For the island's residents, however, this

Written By: Makkanthra Aditi Edited By: Muskaan Kaushik Graphic Designer: Makkanthra Aditi The conversation on the paradox of visibility and commodification of queer identities in the entertainment industry has been overshadowed by the celebration of representation and the act of "finally being seen." Multiple viewpoints offer different perspectives. Just a decade ago, meaningful representation of the LGBTQIA+ in the mainstream was scarce, w

Written By: Sia Sirish Karanth Edited By: Saptarchi Biswas Graphic Designer: Vedant Gunda “There are kids… who’d rather be dead than be gay.” These were words said by former NFL player Carl Nassib, who made history by coming out as the first openly gay active sportsman for the NFL. While the institution of the NFL accepted his identity, the question remains as to why it took so long for this development and why there have been little to no openly gay men in sports. American

Written By: Vedant Gunda Edited By: Saptarchi Biswas Graphic Designer: Vedant Gunda Imagine yourself stepping inside the largest library of the world. Endless shelves go on forever into the darkness. Here is every civilization, empire, revolution, love story which mankind deemed worthy enough of keeping. Now imagine that somehow someone has been ripping out pages from those shelves. No, not whole books. This would be too obvious. Just one paragraph. A name. Changing a pronoun

Written By: Krisha Rathod Edited By: Iniya J Graphic Designer: Makkanthra Aditi As part of Pride Month, ECHO launched LONG TAKE, its student-led Film Club, with its inaugural screening, Pride on Screen: Stories of Identity, Love, and Belonging. Conceived as a space where students can engage with cinema through screenings, discussions, and critical reflection, the club began with a screening of Breaking Free (2015), a documentary that explores the lives, struggles, and resilie

Written By: Aleena Sebastian Edited By: Malaika Noorani Graphic Designer: Iniya J The COVID-19 era was a time stretch that many people term as something that passed in a ‘blur’. The whole world had to shut its doors to the outside environment, and a looming stretch of gloom and apprehension of how the world would progress clouded the minds of people. But people were locked in not just physically, but also emotionally, especially those who were still “in the closet”. Physical

Written By: Saptarchi Biswas Edited By: Malaika Noorani Graphic Designer: Iniya J They wrote our names in books of law, In ink that promised "equal for all." Bound in pages, stamped with seals, A nation signed what justice feels. The Constitution spoke with grace, Of dignity for every face. Of freedom's breath, of voices free— A dream of what this land could be. Yet paper never walked the streets, Or stood where hunger and silence meet. It never waited outside a gate, To lear

Written By: Niharika Singh Edited By: Malaika Noorani Graphic Designer: Pannaga Y P For centuries, queer communities have been pushed to the margins of society, their lives overlooked by institutions that were meant to uphold justice and equality. The struggle of the LGBTQIA+ community has never been solely about acceptance; it has been about recognition, dignity, and the right to exist as equal citizens under the law. While many nations now claim to uphold these principles,