Photo: Courtesy Engendered
Story by McCarton Ackerman
When most people think of sexuality in South Asian culture, Thailand is usually the first thing that pops into their minds. "Engendered," a three day multi-disciplinary arts festival taking place from April 18th to 20th in New York, is looking to change that by exploring the complex realities of gender and sexuality throughout all of South Asia. This is useful knowledge for any queer traveler on their way to the area -- including Thailand, of course.
The
festival includes multiple artists, activists and scholars who span the
worlds of South Asian popular culture. Transgender and queer classical
performances, male classical temple dance artists from Orissa, and
feminist dance theater work by the likes of Parul Shah are some of the
many highlights of the event.
The
feature of the festival is a discussion with noted Bangladeshi feminist
and author Taslima Nasrin, who is currently living in exile in India.
Her controversial stance on women's issues and religion have shot her
to international notoriety in these fields.
Tickets
are on sale and will take place at several venues throughout Lincoln
Center including the Bruno Walter Auditorium and the Walter Reade
Theater. Tickets and a complete schedule can be found here.
