Mourning a Queer Aunty: Kinship, Creative Resilience and World-Making

Abstract

Abstract Indian queer and trans activist Agniva passed away in 2016. This article draws on memoir, anecdote, research interviews and digital ethnography to explore the impact that Agniva had on a range of queer and trans people. The author details experiences he shared with Agniva and analyses virtual memorials and obituaries for her in order to account for the emotional labour that queer aunties do for their kin. This article thus explores the aunty-niece relationships that exist as a form of queer kinship, especially in the context of heteronormative homo/transphobic social systems and structures. It is also a narration of queer grief, exploring creative resistance and public mourning for a person who was variously a mother, a trans activist, a human rights warrior and a mashi (aunt) to the author.