To signify Pride Month, Instagram has joined hands with The Queer Muslim Project (TQMP) to celebrate the Digital Pride Festival in South Asia. The festival was conceived by TQMP last year to virtually discuss LGBTQIA+ issues.
The festival—from June 11 to 27—will utilise the #PrideAtHome hashtag and include creator panels, performances, panels on online safety and mental health, plus a masterclass on Instagram products such as Reels.
Tara Bedi, public policy and community outreach manager at Instagram India, said in a statement: “The Digital Pride Festival with TQMP will include conversations to address safety, well-being, allyship, but most importantly, represent and amplify the voices of diverse, immensely talented LGBTQIA creators and activists, and help us continue our journey to make Instagram more inclusive.”
TQMP is a South Asian collective of over 26,000 people, and one that is quickly expanding to include global members as well. The group uses digital advocacy, storytelling and visual arts to create avenues for young people from underserved communities to express themselves, build community and forge creative collaborations.
It also serves as a space to discuss the intersection of faith, gender and sexuality and aims to create greater acceptance within religious teachings, institutions and communities. This is done through monthly digital zine issues that feature thoughts and musings rom queer Muslim creators in the form of essays, interviews, poems, comics and visual art.
If you are a queer Muslim arist and would like to be included in TQMP’s directory, you can fill out the Google doc here. If you need guidance on how to expand your personal brand or promote your art through social media, read TQMP’s extensive guide to navigating Facebook and Instagram.
And of course, if you are a creative looking to commission digital art or other forms of content, please consider reaching out to TQMP. For safety reasons, the artist directory is not made public.
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