Language is a Queer Thing

Language is a Queer Thing connects LGBTQIA+ poets from India and the UK to develop new work exploring what it means to be queer in their respective countries.

Led by The Queer Muslim Project, in partnership with VERVE Poetry Festival with support from British Council and BBC Contains Strong Language, the international poetry development programme asks how language can better reflect queer identities and experiences around the world.

Since the programme's launch in 2022, we have supported 18 LGBTQIA+ poets from India and the UK through residencies in Birmingham, Leeds and Mumbai, culminating in two ground-breaking anthologies of queer poems.

The 2025 edition of Language is a Queer Thing (LIAQT) celebrates four years of India-UK cultural exchange and queer poetry. This year brings together six alumni poets to an in-person residency as part of the Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture celebrations, featuring workshops, community interactions, and a headline showcase at the BBC Contains Strong Language festival. The occasion will also mark the launch of an omnibus anthology bringing together powerful works from across all editions of LIAQT.

Language is a Queer Thing showcase 2025

Six queer poets from India and the UK take to the stage at the BBC Contains Strong Language festival in Bradford on 21 September to explore how language can be reclaimed, refashioned, and made bigger, to hold queer lives and longings.

Through the spoken word, this collaborative performance conjures memories of mothers, sea creatures and mythological beings, forgotten tongues.

Book tickets

Watch: Performances from the 2023 programme

'Queer South Asian people exist and they have a voice and a lot of alternative perspectives. That brings something fresh to poetry.'

— Jay Mitra, 2023 programme poet

The story so far

Since 2022, the programme has reached over 2 million listeners through BBC Radio and live audiences. Participating writers have performed their work at prominent festivals in the UK and India including BBC Contains Strong Language Festival, Tata Literature Live, Jaipur Literature Festival and Spoken Fest.

Language is a Queer Thing has created strong bonds between the writers, providing them with a nurturing community space as well as career development opportunities, mentoring and workshops.