Haima Simoes and Shruti Venkatesh are the first same-sex couple to appear on the cover of Vogue India. Is this a completely new chapter for India or is it just the beginning?
Haima and Shruti are not professional models or big celebrities, but they were chosen to champion the LGBTQ+ movement in India by appearing on the cover of Vogue. Haima Simoes is a freelancer working in digital advertising and social media, while Shruti is a developer. Modeling is just a sideline for them, but they say it’s a great opportunity.
Shruti and Simoes met at university in Mumbai, this is the place for LGBTQ+ people to be in India. It’s relatively safe to be proud here, without attracting too much unwanted attention. It’s not like that anywhere else. For example, Simoes grew up in Goa, she was bullied at school when she told her friends at the age of 13. However, she was lucky to have a supportive family who always had her back.
Going to college in Mumbai was a wonderful time for both women. It was a chance to finally be themselves and meet new friends and like-minded people. Shruti and Haima met in 2017 and have been practically inseparable ever since. They don’t consider themselves just a couple, they are also best friends, they are a team, they support each other through everything and they adopted a cat together.
When the pandemic hit India, Shruti and Haima had to separate. 2020 was a challenging year: jobs were lost, apartment rentals became an issue, and many were forced to return to live with their families after years of living apart. Haima is spending the pandemic with her family in Goa, which means she has had limited opportunities to see Shruti. It’s just been work trips and photo shoots like this one for Vogue.
Both women agree that the fashion industry, in general, is the most welcoming to LGBTQ+ people in India, although it is not entirely perfect and has some drawbacks. There is a lack of representation that is very evident. Both women agree that the fashion industry, in general, is the most welcoming to LGBTQ+ people in India, although it is not entirely perfect and has some drawbacks. There is a lack of representation that is very evident.
Being a part of the LGBTQ+ community in India is sometimes challenging. To come out and live the life you want, you need to have a solid foundation of support and security, both financial and emotional. It is no surprise that the majority of India’s LGBTQ community representation are upper-class gay men. They have a certain level of privilege, while women don’t feel as confident to be at the forefront of this movement because their set of career opportunities in India is already smaller, and being outside can further limit it.
However, times are changing and the very fact that Vogue India featured a same-sex couple on its cover is a good sign. Hopefully, this means there will be more representation in the media and society will also be more welcoming and tolerant.
