QUEER SOUTH ASIANS IN AMERICA

Historical Context

Queer South Asians have existed for millennia, although organizing around this identity in the United States is a more recent phenomenon. Over time, queer South Asians have made significant contributions by creating safer spaces for their community, developing an alternative narrative within the broader South Asian context that reflects the complexities of queerness.

Identity Intersectionality

Individuals often struggle with the intersections of their identities as queer, transgender, bisexual, lesbian, or gay alongside their South Asian backgrounds. This results in their identities being compartmentalized (or separated into silos) in various social settings. At home, there can be a tendency to hide queerness, while in school or work environments, individuals may feel alien due to racial and ethnic differences. Even in queer spaces, South Asians often face either invisibility or exoticization. This necessitates a yearning for spaces where all aspects of identity, be it race, gender, or sexuality, can coalesce seamlessly.

Early Organizing Efforts

By the mid- to late 1980s, queer South Asians began organizing themselves and creating community spaces to foster identity, solidarity, and activism. The very first queer South Asian organization globally, known as Trikone, was established in 1986 in San Francisco following a public call to South Asians posted on a community board at an LGBT community center. Connections were forged through informal networks—often referred to as the community grapevine—and supplemented by published newsletters and magazines aimed at outreach.

Cultural festivals like Desh Pardesh were organized, merging artistic expression, film, and activism into a unified front. At this time, Urvashi Vaid assumed a significant leadership position as the head of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, which directly heightened the visibility of queer South Asian experiences.

Societal Stigmas

Despite the ongoing efforts to create community, mainstream South Asian communities often rejected the existence of queer South Asians. This societal stigma led to significant feelings of isolation, depression, and suicidal ideation among those who identified as queer. Consequently, support groups were created to help each other navigate these challenges. This new visibility and community support fueled courage among individuals to come out and connect with one another.

Addressing Internal Oppression

While South Asian queer communities possess resilience, they sometimes uncritically perpetuate cultures of oppression. Prejudices and unconscious biases frequently favor gay, upper-middle-class, cisgender male, Hindu Indians, thereby neglecting the needs of individuals with intersecting identities, such as women, transgender individuals, Muslims, and members of lower socioeconomic classes. This recognition spurred the formation of new groups, including SA-Grrls and Al-Fatiha, aimed at addressing the needs of those marginalized within predominantly queer South Asian spaces.

Activism and Inclusion

The SALGA (South Asian Lesbian and Gay Association) became an important voice in advocating for a more inclusive environment, notably participating in parades and community events while addressing broader issues of oppression. A major turning point came when SALGA demanded entry into New York City’s India Day Parade from 1992 to 2009. The refusal by parade organizers signified a broader denial of queerness and gender nonconformity within South Asian cultures. This fight was further complicated by the reality of colonial histories that perpetuated anti-queer laws like Section 377 of India’s constitution, originally introduced by British colonialists.

In 2010, following years of activism, SALGA finally gained entry into the India Day Parade, marking a significant victory for visibility and recognition of South Asian queer identities.

Solidarity with Other Movements

In addition to organizing around their own community challenges, queer South Asians have sought to express solidarity with other movements for justice. The response to Michael Brown's murder in 2014 catalyzed the #BlackLivesMatter movement and prompted queer South Asians to recognize that their struggle for justice is intertwined with the fight for Black liberation. They participated actively in collectives such as #APIs4BlackLives, contributing to community solidarity actions, fundraising, and marches supporting justice for Black communities.

In this spirit, workshops such as “It Starts at Home: Confronting Anti-Blackness in South Asian Communities” were developed by organizers at the Queer South Asian National Network (QSANN), aimed at educating South Asians about anti-Black oppression within their communities, with workshops held in multiple cities.

Timeless Existence of Queer Identities

Although the term "queer South Asian" as an identity is relatively modern, the existence of gender-nonconforming individuals and nonheterosexual relationships in South Asia stretches back centuries, deeply rooted in histories, cultures, and mythologies. The community continues to emerge from invisibility, advocating for full acceptance and recognition. Their struggle, however, acknowledges that no one will be free until all queer and trans individuals, and all communities of color, experience freedom and equity.

Notable Individuals

Mala Nagarajan: Co-founder of Trikone-Northwest, a caregiver, and nonprofit consultant, utilizing she/he pronouns.
Sasha Wijeyeratne: Executive director of CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities, involved in organizing working-class Chinese, Bangladeshi, and Korean immigrants in as part of broader rights initiatives.

SALGA and the India Day Parade

In the 1997 India Day Parade, SALGA faced exclusion from the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) who enforced homophobic policies disguised with various excuses regarding membership and identity specificity. Throughout the years, the FIA’s exclusionary actions increasingly marginalized feminist and activist groups supportive of SALGA. Activists organized a press conference to further address these systemic marginalizations and promote coalition-building against oppression. This grassroots resistance ultimately played a critical role in SALGA’s re-inclusion into the parade, even if this victory would see challenges return in subsequent years. For example, as reported by Arun Venugopal in 2010, SALGA was re-admitted after years of negotiation but would face continued obstacles, emphasizing the ongoing nature of their struggle for representation.

Timeline of Key Events in Queer South Asian History

400-200 BCE: Tamil Sangam literature discusses relationships between two men and the lives of trans women in the Aravan cult.
300 BCE: Historical texts mention same-sex relationships; some poets refer to queer figures.
1918: Early recordings of South Asian men having same-sex relationships documented in North America.
1986: Trikone, the first queer South Asian organization, founded in San Francisco.
1989-2001: Urvashi Vaid serves as executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
1995: Pride Utsav hosts the first queer South Asian conference in the U.S.
2009: SALGA is accepted into the New York City India Day Parade after decades of exclusion.
2010: The Supreme Court of India rules that transgender individuals will have rights under the Indian constitution, marking a groundbreaking recognition of gender rights.
2014: The Desi Queer Helpline is established, providing resources for the community.

These milestones collectively highlight pivotal moments in queer South Asian history, demonstrating the ongoing evolution, struggles, and triumphs of the community as it seeks to gain visibility, representation, and rights.