How do you create awareness and encourage debate and discussion on topics that require careful handling, such as gender equality, LGBTQ rights, the Uniform Civil Code, casual sexism, freedom of speech and other contemporary issues? It was this question that prompted three women, Amrita Tripathi, Natasha Badhwar and Noopur Tiwari, to launch Genderlog, a crowdsourced hub on Twitter devoted to ‘imagining equality’ back in January 2013.
The process is simple. A guest curator hosts the Twitter handle each week and takes the conversation de jour, sometimes based on current events, in a new direction.
“We have a committed and engaged audience that brings a vibrancy to discussions,” Natasha Badhwar said in an interview. The conversation sees active participation from academics, artists, writers, activists, comedians and many more – and even goes beyond the subcontinent. “There is a new generation of women who are online and bring a freshness and immediacy to the conversation around gender,” Noopur added.
Source: Economic Times IndiaTopics range according to the curator’s interests, and so, are far-reaching and quite varied.
For instance, Twitter user @NiceMangos, a Pakistani-Canadian blogger and illustrator who describes herself as a critic of Islam who loathes anti-Muslim bigots, hosted an especially interesting week when she denounced the niqab as a tool of oppression, spurring many users to debate the issue. More recently, another guest curator, @_GoneNative discussed the impact of reading on gender identity, curating the conversation with the hashtag #ReadingIsThinking.
Genderlog continues to make people sit up and take notice of, not to mention speak up on, topics usually dealt with a nonchalant shrug. “We recently had an incredibly powerful and moving interview with someone who is transgender and fielded some very personal questions, while also reflecting on social biases and pressure, caste and class privilege. Where else do you find that sort of conversation going on?” says Amrita.
Check out @GenderlogIndia to join in the discussion.
Featured image source: She The People
