Tracing Their Stories: The Role of Indian Diaspora Activists in the United States’ Queer Movement
The role of Indian-Americans is often neglected when it comes to the LGBTQmovement in the US, despite the significant presence of the diaspora and India's richhistory of LGBTQ acceptance.Gender fluidity was a recognized concept in ancient India. Queerness can be tracedback in Indian history, from ancient epics and scriptures to medieval prose, poetry, andart. Besides literary proof, India also has plenty of visual depictions of homosexuality.The most striking example is in Khajuraho town in the central state of Madhya Pradesh,where the Chandela dynasty built a temple complex around 950 AD and included eroticsculptures that vividly portray homosexuality. Similar temple art can also be seen in the13th-Century Sun Temple in Konark in the eastern state of Orissa and Buddhistmonastic caves at Ajanta and Ellora in the western state of Maharashtra.These explicit portrayals of homosexuality were shocking for the British colonizers, whotended to control such overt displays of sexuality. Consequently, the British prohibitedconsensual 'homosexual conduct' by introducing Section 377 in the Indian Penal Codein 1861. However, criminalizing homosexuality reflected European principles based onreligious sentiments (primarily Christian beliefs) more than Indian instincts.Fast-forwarding to a century later, South Asians had begun migrating in waves todifferent parts of the world, with the United States slowly building a South Asiandiaspora community. Queer South Asian-Americans also started coming together andorganizing after The Stonewall Uprising. In the 1970s and early 1980s, the communitystarted connecting through broader movements, such as the women's movement andAsian American or people of colour spaces. By the late 1980s, gay South Asian groupsstarted forming across the nation in San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles, andinternationally in London, Toronto, Delhi and Bangalore. Trikone magazine alsolaunched in 1986 and offered a supportive, empowering, and non-judgmentalenvironment for LGBTQ South Asians and their allies to connect. By the 1990s,conferences like Pride Utsav in New York and San Francisco and events like Toronto'sDesh Pardesh wove queerness into their cultural and arts programming and unitedSouth Asian activists across the country.Activists are essential players in the queer South Asian-American narrative, and UrvashiVaid was a visionary with a tireless passion for her work in the LGBTQ+ rights space. 
Urvashi Vaid was an Indian-born American LGBTQ rights activist, lawyer, and writer. Anexpert in gender and sexuality law, she held a series of positions at the National LGBTQTask Force, serving initially as its media director before becoming its executive director.Vaid began her career as a staff lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union beforeholding various roles in advocacy groups, academic organizations and philanthropicfoundations. She fought extensively for LGBTQ rights, women's rights, anti-war efforts, immigration justice and health care justice, among other social causes. She publishednumerous columns, reports and books, including 'Virtual Equality: The Mainstreaming ofGay and Lesbian Liberation' which won the Stonewall Book Award in 1996. UrvashiVaid died of cancer on May 13, 2022, and is survived by her longtime partner, politicalhumorist Kate Clinton.Other notable LGBTQ figures such as Lilly Singh, Tan France, and Alok Vaid-Menonhave helped bring the South Asian-American queer experience to the mainstream andprovided the community with relatability and representation. 
Lilly Singh is a Canadian comedian, actress, talk show host, and YouTuber whopreviously appeared under the moniker Superwoman, her YouTube username. Bornand raised in Scarborough, Ontario, Singh began making YouTube videos in 2010 andwent on to host "A Little Late With Lilly Singh," making her the only woman and openlyLGBTQ person to host a late-night broadcast television show. 
Tan France is a television personality, fashion guru, and style expert of Netflix'srenewed Queer Eye series. Born Tanveer Safdar, Tan grew up in a strict PakistaniMuslim family in South Yorkshire, England. When he was seven years old, he visited hisgrandfather's denim factory and fell in love with fashion. As an adult, Tan moved toLondon and worked corporate jobs for major retailers like Zara, Selfridges, and Chanel.After taking a leap and moving to the United States, he succeeded as an independentfashion designer, starting the fashion lines Kingdom & State and Rachel Parcell Inc. 
Alok Vaid-Menon is a gender nonconforming writer and performer who grew up inTexas to Indian immigrant parents. They use their creativity and platform to exploregender, race, trauma and belonging themes, championing and bringing visibility to thetrans community. Alok Vaid-Menon is Urvashi Vaid's nephew, and says their aunt wastheir first 'queer protector.' In 2017, Alok released their inaugural book of poetry,'Femme in Public,' a meditation on harassment against transfeminine people.
Shalaka Laxman works as a Product Manager in London, focusing on developing sustainable financial products for large corporates. Before moving to London, she previously lived in New York and graduated with a B.S. in Commerce from the University of Virginia in 2014. Outside the day job, she writes a weekly newsletter with the latest developments in the sustainability space and runs By Shax, her own independent, conscious art and homeware brand. Shalaka grew up in Dubai before heading to the U.S. for university and enjoys reading, traveling, and all things cat-related, alongside time with family and friends.
