Non-binary gender and same sex love in South Asian traditions

South Asian academics and content creators who present LGBT stories from history and tradition

Pakistani YouTuber Syawish of the Al Muqaddimah channel produced the video Homosexuality in the Islamic World in 2022.

Tamil writer and activist A. Revathi wrote the autobiographical The Truth About Me: A Hijra Life Story (2010), the story of a transwoman who joined a traditional third gender community after being exiled from her family, only to continue to face violence and rejection from society. Prior to that, she wrote Unarvum Uruvamum (2006), based on a collection of interviews with non-binary people in Tamil Nadu, to address the lack of transgender representation in Tamil literature.

India-born Parvez Sharma directed an award-winning 2008 documentary about LGBT Muslims from around the world. A Jihad for Love contains interviews with same-sex loving people in India and other countries.

Indian mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik wrote The Man Who Was a Woman: And Other Queer Tales from Hindu Lore (2002). A prolific writer who has published many books on a range of topics, Pattanaik came out publicly as gay in 2018.

Indian academic Ruth Vanita wrote Queering India: Same-Sex Love and Eroticism in Indian Culture and Society (2001) and other books about gender and sexuality in literature. She specializes in gender studies and South Asian literary history.

Indian historian and gay rights activist Saleem Kidwai co-edited the book Same-Sex Love in India: Readings from Literature and History (2000) with Ruth Vanita.

Indian lesbian activist Giti Thadani wrote Sakhiyani: Lesbian Desire in Ancient and Modern India (1996), which explores same sex unions between women in ancient texts.  Thadani is dedicated to documenting ancient art that depict same sex love.