New Delhi: A group of queer and/or Dalit people, including writers, editors and activists, has called for the publishers of author Yashica Dutt’s book ‘Coming out as a Dalit: A Memoir’ to review the title before its revised edition, slated to come out soon, is published.
The 14 signatories have made the appeal through an open letter addressed to the US’ Beacon Press, which is due to publish an expanded edition of the book in February, and Delhi-based Aleph Book Company, which published it in 2019.
The award-winning book was originally published in 2019, and is an account of Dutt publicly embracing her Dalit identity after years of “passing” as an upper caste.
However, it has been in the eye of a storm since last year over allegations that she appropriated the idea of ‘coming out as Dalit’ from queer Dalit academic Sumit Baudh, who is one of the signatories of the letter.
There has also been criticism over the use of the phrase “coming out” — used by the queer community to describe the process of making their sexuality/gender identity public — in the context of caste.
Dutt, who is now based in the US, came out as queer last year, four years after the book was published.
The open letter says while the signatories “acknowledge the importance of highlighting the experiences of marginalised communities, it is crucial to approach such matters with sensitivity and respect for the unique challenges faced by each group”.
Those behind the letter note that their concerns regarding the book’s title “revolve around two significant issues”.
“Firstly, the 2019 book title showcases the idea of ‘coming out’ without sufficiently engaging with the complexities and depth of the LGBTQIAP+ discourse,” it says, adding that “‘coming out’ is a deeply personal and often transformative journey for individuals within the LGBTQIAP+ community, and any use or reference to this term should be done with careful consideration and respect for their experiences”.
Secondly, the letter adds, “it seems that the 2019 book may interpret the author’s marginality as a Dalit woman through the marginality experienced by LGBTQIAP+ individuals/groups”.
“Even if these experiences intersect by way of the author’s self-declaration of queerness in 2023, it is an identitarian claim devoid of substantive engagement with, recognition and understanding of, LGBTQIAP+ discourse,” it says.
Intersectionality, the letter adds, “is an intricate and multifaceted concept and it demands a nuanced understanding”.
“The title, ‘Coming Out As Dalit’, should not oversimplify or misrepresent this intersectionality. The lack of engagement with LGBTQIAP+ discourse, displaces queerness, conflates it with being Dalit, and invisibilises people who have been struggling to generate visibility through their lived experiences of being queer and Dalit,” it adds.
The book
Dutt’s journey to the book started with a 2016 blog post titled “Today, I’m coming out as Dalit”.
Dutt subsequently took to Tumblr to publish ‘Documents of Dalit Discrimination’, before expanding on her experiences in ‘Coming Out as Dalit’. Well-received by critics and the public alike, the book won Dutt the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar in 2020.
The controversy surrounding the book started when Dutt sought credit from the creators of the 2023 show, Made in Heaven Season 2, for an episode whose main character appeared similar to her.
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)
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