Bi Collective Delhi is an informal initiative from India, for bisexual, bi-curious and pansexual people in the urban area of Delhi. It is a resource and support group that wants to create a safe space for likeminded people.
Bi Collective Delhi’s founder states: “Often communities develop and grow around a common resource or culture.” According to him, there is a lack of quality Indian writing on the history, theory, and experience of the queer movement worldwide, especially with regard to bisexuality.
To change this, they set up the Bi Collective Delhi Circulating Library project. This library features queer literature with a specific focus on bisexuality. Additionally, they organized book reading sessions, discussions, spoken-word poetry evenings, and panel discussions. Also, new content in the form of blogs, essays or articles will be created in the future.
I’m thankful to the Bi-Collective for their novels I’ve borrowed and read, the ones my “progressive” school library won’t dare to keep. … The first lesbian novel, The Well of Loneliness, published in 1928, gave me the most enriching experience; now neither am I lesbian, nor am I a female, but I did face similar responses as a child and as a teenager, when I chose to express my real identity. Giving me hope against hate, it made me reestablish my faith in comprehensive education. I’m more confident, confident my life will be full of courage, not always happiness. … Internet and all is fine, but inarguably, a good book is a good book.
Anonymous genderqueer and pansexual library user (16 years old)
Project results
- 83 books and 8 e-books for the library were purchased;
- A sense of community through shared reading sessions was fostered;
- The library was introduced to community members with a special event;
- Meetings and book reading sessions were held;
- A panel discussion took place in May 2018.
