‘Drag Me to Heaven’ podcast aims to redefine faith, art that is inclusive towards queer community, says Drag artist Patruni Sastry
Patruni Sastry, who recently launched the podcast series, says the queer community is often discriminated against and religion or faith is used as a weapon to bring down the community.
Hyderabad: The podcast is titled ‘Drag Me to Heaven’ and coming from Hyderabad-based drag artist, Patruni Sastry, the conversation seeks to explore the intersection of identity, faith and drag artistry.
Patruni Sastry, who recently launched the podcast series, says the queer community is often discriminated against and religion or faith is used as a weapon to bring down the community.
“I wanted to start this initiative because drag artists are seen as the celebrity of the LGBTQ community and have a strong influence on the queer community,” he says.
‘Drag Me to Heaven’ attempts to navigate through nuanced conversations with queer and trans individuals highlighting their unique spiritual and cultural journeys, their drag practices and challenges.
Patruni Sastry who has been a drag artist for over five years said they are subjected to constant discrimination and religion is used as a tool to curb their sexuality and gender. “Our religion or faith is not accepting towards us. Different faiths term us as a sin or we are believed to be going against culture and nature,” he shares.
“The podcast aims to relook into our religions and find spaces, references or stories that could uncheck the idea that religion is not inclusive,” the drag artist says.
The podcast, which is a 15-day project, covers over 20 drag artists from around six nations including India, US, Nepal, Canada, and Ireland. A part of the Interfaith Youth Leadership Programme by Rubaroo NGO, it attempts to start conversations around redefining faith and art that is more accepting and appreciative towards the queer community.
“Each episode of the podcast features a range of voices from diverse backgrounds who are navigating through lives beyond the traditional religious frameworks. It includes drag artists who are redefining faith in their own terms and who bring deeply nuanced perspectives to the table,” Sastry adds.
The 20-episode podcast series is available on all major streaming platforms such as Spotify, Saavan, and Apple music among others.
