As the pride month comes to an end, here’s a look at some of the diverse LGBTQIA+ stories on Pratilipi, India’s largest digital publishing and storytelling platform for homegrown writers

To celebrate the pride month, Pratilipi has presented some of the finest LGBTQIA stories every weekend of June, in four different regional languages including Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, and Kannada.

Publishing it under the hashtag #ReadForPrideWeekend the stories explore various different aspects of the community. For instance, ‘Chirraiya jo markar bhi udti rahi’ by Dhiraj Jha is a real-life inspired story of love, lust and betrayal – which has been read by over 16,000 readers on Pratilipi.

Another story ‘Ek Pyaar- Samaaj ka abhishaap‘ has caught the attention of a lot of readers and has garnered over 2.5 lakh reads. The 9 episode story by Aarav ki Kalam, revolves around the central characters Aarav and Abeer and their unfulfilled love story. 

‘Veshamo Vesham Kettalo’ by Muhammed Asif, a winning entry from Pratilipi #LGBTQIA contest depicts the story of Raji, a trans woman who through her appearance on a talk show changes the host’s perception of trans women.

In addition to this, Ammaiyappan, by Geetha Mathivanan, is a story of a couple and their two children. After being in a long-term marriage the gradual desire of the husband to be a woman strengthens and he undergoes a sex change. The story revolves around the conversation between the couple and the various emotions that flow within the family in light of this sudden change.

Premada Hosa Paribhashe by Dr Jyoti Sirasagi – a self-described ophthalmologist of literature who presents a different view to her audience. This story explores the true meaning of love without any barriers/biases. The protagonist, Raghu, gradually explores his sexuality as he grows up and falls in love with a boy. His family is against this love and the story narrates the different hardships their relationship undergoes. 

The self-publishing platform has encouraged novice and established writers from diverse backgrounds to explore their love for storytelling and experience the joy of sharing this with an audience of over 25 million monthly readers in 12 Indian regional languages through their website and app.