Challenging Heteronormativity: Analyzing Gender-Based Violence Against Queers in Made in Heaven

The Indian web series Made in Heaven (2019) delves into the lives of two wedding planners, one of whom is a queer man navigating the intersections of identity, social expectations and violence in a largely heteronormative society. Through the experiences of this character, the series portrays the various forms of violence including psychological, emotional and institutional that LGBTQIA+ individuals face due to the societal imposition of heterosexual norms. This paper examines the portrayal of gender-based violence (GBV) against homosexual individuals in the series through the lens of Judith Butler’s Queer Theory. The paper focuses particularly on Butler’s concepts of gender performativity and compulsory heterosexuality. Butler’s theory which is primarily drawn from her seminal work Gender Trouble (1990) argues that gender is not an inherent identity but a social performance enforced by cultural expectations. Compulsory heterosexuality further mandates that all individuals align with heteronormative roles, marginalising and pathologising those who deviate. This paper applies Butler’s theory to analyze how Made in Heaven reveals the everyday, normalised violence LGBTQIA+ individuals face in familial, professional and public spheres. It argues that these representations of GBV highlight the pervasive impact of enforced gender roles and heterosexual norms in Indian society. By critiquing these structures, Made in Heaven challenges audiences to question heteronormativity’s role in perpetuating violence against non-heterosexual identities, thereby contributing to a broader understanding of GBV and the urgent need for cultural and institutional acceptance of diverse sexual orientations.

Keywords: Gender-Based Violence, Queer Theory, Compulsory Heterosexuality, LGBTQIA+ Representation, Heteronormativity