BEHIND THE STRAIGHT CURTAINS REIMAGINING QUEER SPACES IN PUBLIC GREENFRONTS, MUMBAI

Abstract

“Queer is an umbrella term for sexual and gender minorities who are not heterosexual or are not cisgender. Originally meaning "strange" or "peculiar", queer came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century.” The study of queer space and its origins in architectural theory can be traced back to the early 1990s. This thesis explores the spaces dedicated to the queer community or spaces put to queer use in india as social space for knowledge and interaction. While exploration towards this period signifies these spaces have been private or on a community level, this thesis explores the possibility of queer spaces on a public level in urban green fronts of the cities. Taking a turn towards architecture and the potential of queering space, the emerging project challenges architecture to be queer – to disrupt and destabilize, to resist and empower – moving towards a new reality of space that does not only react against, but redefines public spaces.