g_b the Queers & Pets Meet this Sunday!

[Vikram D vg...@yahoo.co.uk [gay_bombay]]

Gay Bombay, Queer Ink and the Hive present the Queers & Pets meet!
As we recover from an amazing Pride 2015 Gaybombayhas a fun and interesting 
meeting lined up for this Sunday @ The Hive, Khar:the first Queers & Pets Meet! 
 Anyone who knows queer people know how we love ouranimal friends. Dogs, cats, 
birds, tortoises, fish, you name it and you’ll findqueer people who have made 
them a cherished part of their lives.  Even when people can’t keep them as pets 
(Mumbai’sflats can be constricting!), they feed strays near their homes, care 
for themat animal shelters and lavish love on the pets of their families and 
friends.  And there’s a good reason for this. Queer peopleknow the difference 
that pets can make to their lives. In a world which isoften lonely and hostile, 
animals can offer love, companionship and affectionwithout judgment.  Many 
queer people will say their pets are liketheir children. Taking care of them 
gives a routine and added purpose to theirlives, and can be part of the glue 
that keeps couples together. (And otheruses. Some guys say that cute dogs are 
the best way to pick up other guys…)  This Queers & Pets meet will talk about 
allthese emotional reasons we keep pets, but we will also talk about 
practicalmatters. Having pets is a big responsibility. They reshape our lives 
and if wearen’t careful we can cause unthinking problems for both our pets 
andourselves.  For this meet we are getting both people who havepets and people 
who are experts on animal behaviour and how to live with pets.If you don’t have 
a pet but want one, this would be a great chance to find outwhat sort of pet 
might work for you and how best to get and care for one inMumbai.  And of 
course, this meet won’t just have people –we’ll have quite a few pets as well! 
(For practical reasons these will mostlybe dogs). So we’ll talk about pets – 
why we have them, how to get them, what tokeep in mind. But above all, we’ll 
have a chance to play with them, both ourown (if you want to bring yours) and 
those of others.  This meet will be happen alongside the Q Fest thatQueer Ink 
plans on organising regularly at the Hive. As part of this there willbe a sale 
of queer books and films.