People want to fit you in a box: Anwesh Sahoo

...says Anwesh Sahoo, who won the Mr Gay World India title in January, and is all set to represent India at the Mr Gay World contest in April

After watching the 2012 winner of Mr Gay World Andreas Derleth’s interview on YouTube, then 16-year-old Anwesh Sahoo was convinced about two things: The talk encouraged him to come out of the closet; and participate in the Gay World Pageant by the time he was 25. Luckily for Anwesh, he didn’t have to wait that long. After clinching the Mr. Gay World India title this January, he is all set to represent India at the Mr Gay World contest in Malta this April. He says, “I kept a track of the competition since I intended to be a part of the competition only when I was 25-26. But this year I thought I was physically fit, so decided to send in my entry anyway. My dream of contesting the pageant came true a little too soon — and I am not complaining!”

Growing up wasn’t easy for Anwesh: He was often the victim of bullying because of his sexuality. He even sought help from his schoolteacher to help him understand his sexuality. In Class Eight, he decided to put a full stop to the nuisance.

He recalls, “I think I realised I was gay much later. I even had a girlfriend for about two-three months to put an end to the name-calling. My teacher reassured me that it was all right to be gay and that it was people who needed to change their views. Since then, I decided to tackle the problem head on. I have realised that once you decide to speak up for yourself, people tend to take you seriously.”

Opening up about his sexuality to his folks at home too was a challenge — his parents had no inkling about what homosexuality is all about. Anwesh says, “My sister accepted me. My parents were confused as to what I went on about. I had a difficult time explaining to them my sexuality. That’s how little we Indians know about it. There is hardly any literature about queer sexuality. It is worse for school students who are often the target of comments by their peers.”

This thought formed the theme for his campaign at the competition. Anwesh chose “fitting out” at the pageant and is now looking at actively work towards the campaign. He says, “Everywhere, you find people wanting to put you in labels, or fit you in a box. As a queer, I am expected to ‘fit in’ instead of people accepting me for who I am. I want to let people know that being queer is perfectly normal.”

At the moment, Anwesh is busy gearing up for the pageant. The student of IIIT (International Institute of Information Technology) Delhi is skipping the current semester to focus on the pageant. He hopes to win the title since it is a collective effort from a few individuals who support the LGBT movement in India. Former contestant of Mr Hay World 2014, Sushant Divgikar is mentoring him for the event, and Celina Jaitley, who has been batting for gay rights in the country, has sponsored his air tickets to Malta. He says, “I am looking forward to meeting new people at the event. I can get the campaign to a bigger platform with the international pageant. I think the problem of accepting one’s sexuality is universal, and I want to help people get the kind of support that I didn’t when I chose to come out.”

Anwesh is finding unexpected support in his parents for the upcoming pageant. He says, “Initially I had a tough time explaining to my parents. Today they have accepted me for who I am. They are a little apprehensive about how people are going to react to my choices. But I want to do this for myself. They are happy for me today.”