Photo Project: Marraige Equality is a Drag by Apoorva Gupta

This photo project, created in collaboration with photographer Apurva Gupta, emerged during a time when conversations around marriage equality in Rajasthan were gaining urgency and public attention. It was conceived as both an artistic response and a political reflection—an attempt to translate a legal demand into a visual narrative. At its core, the project asserts that marriage equality is not simply a legislative necessity but a recognition of love, dignity, and the right to exist openly.

The images were created within the intimate space of a home, a deliberate decision that shaped the emotional tone of the work. By situating the project indoors, the domestic environment became symbolic of the private spaces where queer relationships live and breathe—often invisibly, yet profoundly shaped by social and legal structures. The house functioned as both a sanctuary and a stage, collapsing the distance between the personal and the political.

The visual language of the project drew heavily from the cultural heritage of Rajasthani puppetry, a form of storytelling deeply rooted in history and tradition. Puppets have long been used to narrate epics, romances, and moral tales, making them powerful symbols of collective memory. In this project, they became metaphors for how society scripts relationships—who is allowed to love openly and whose stories are controlled or silenced.

For the look, I designed a drag ensemble that carried layered symbolism. On my head, two female puppet figures were positioned, representing companionship, tenderness, and the quiet strength of relationships that exist despite social resistance. Across the dress, two male puppets appeared together, asserting the visibility of same-sex love within a cultural framework that has often excluded it. By placing these figures on the body, the garment transformed into a moving narrative—one that literally carried stories of queer unions.

The choice to embody both sets of figures within a single look was intentional. It disrupted the idea that queer love exists outside tradition, instead situating it firmly within cultural memory. The puppets were not presented as outsiders but as integral characters in an evolving story—one where heritage and queerness coexist rather than oppose one another.

Working within the constraints of a home setting also reinforced the project’s intimacy. The absence of elaborate sets or external spectacle allowed the focus to remain on symbolism, expression, and presence. The photographs feel personal, almost diary-like, reflecting how political struggles are lived through everyday realities rather than abstract debates. This simplicity heightened the emotional resonance of the imagery, making the message both

accessible and deeply felt.

Drag, in this context, became more than performance—it functioned as a tool of reimagination. By reshaping the body into a site of storytelling, drag allowed me to question who gets to participate in rituals like marriage and who is excluded. The exaggerated forms, textures, and silhouettes created space to envision alternative futures, where tradition expands rather than restricts.

The project ultimately became part of a larger photobook, situating it within an ongoing archive of personal and collective narratives. As a body of work, it stands as both documentation and aspiration: a record of a moment when marriage equality was still a demand, and a visual imagining of a world where that demand is fulfilled.

At its heart, the project is about visibility—not just being seen, but being recognized. It asks viewers to reconsider the frameworks through which they understand love, culture, and legitimacy. By merging traditional symbolism with contemporary queer expression, the images propose that equality does not erase heritage; instead, it enriches it.

Through this collaboration, the act of image-making became a form of advocacy. The photographs do not claim to resolve the complexities of law or society, but they insist on the emotional truth that love, in all its forms, deserves acknowledgment. In that sense, the project is both a protest and a celebration—an artistic gesture toward a future where marriage equality is not debated, but lived.