From the Gay Black Group to the historic "Smash the Backlash" demonstration’ in 1987, diasporic South Asians have been at the centre of anti-homophobic direct action in Britain. Despite this, many of their contributions have been lost or forgotten, failing to be remembered as part of British queer or British South Asian history.  

“There has very much been a whitewashing of queer history and a hetero-washing of brown history. I really hope this book will challenge that narrative”, says Dr Rohit K Dasgupta, Department of Gender Studies at LSE. “There is no single history for anything, there are always multiple stories,” he explains, detailing how South Asian queer history is often messy and multifaceted, encompassing both celebration and challenge.   

To uncover these stories, Dr Dasgupta and co-authors Churnjeet Mahn and DJ Ritu spent hundreds of hours poring through archival materials, collecting oral accounts and uncovering cultural products from newsletters to films celebrating activism and everyday life among Britain’s LGBTQ+ South Asian community.  

Forgotten material and the first queer South Asian organisation in Britain 

As well as exploring the limited public archives available in this area, such as The Women’s Library housed at LSE, Bishopsgate Institute and the Glasgow Women’s Library, where co-author Churnjeet Mahn stumbled across a “treasure trove” of material in an unmarked folder, the authors also tracked down the owners of personal collections. In doing so, they unearthed material of incredible historical significance hidden away on floppy discs or stashed in attics.

For example, one of the finds that helped make the book possible was a collection of Shakti Khabar, the newsletter for Shakti, generally credited as the first queer South Asian organisation in Britain. Launched in 1989, copies of the newsletter highlight the instrumental role Shakti played in the queer South Asian community. As the authors outline: “Through the pages of Shakti Khabar we catch glimpses of the burning issues of the day for queer South Asians, not to mention the curation of self-conscious efforts to fashion a queer South Asian diasporic identity.”

Within two years of its formation, Shakti had set up a steering group to develop a HIV/AIDS response (SHARE) which ran the first HIV/AIDS seminar for South Asians in Britain. It also set up a housing co-op for homeless South Asian lesbians and gay men (Shakti Ghar) and produced evidence and research to help highlight and advocate for issues within the community.

The photograph on the cover of Desi Queers was found in co-author DJ Ritu’s personal collection and shows the first time Shakti marched in London Pride. Despite extensive digging and call-outs on social media, the researchers have been unable to find the person who took the photograph. In the book, they encourage the photographer to come forward so they can be credited.

“So many voices are missing in the book as people have come in and dipped out of the movement over the years, but their voices are so important in telling the full narrative,” explains Dr Dasgupta.

The stories we wish we had told 

As well as scouring archival material, the team undertook 28 interviews spanning experiences from the 1970s to the present day. “Many of the people we spoke to for the book are now in their 60s and 70s, it was a big ask for them to share their stories with us,” says Dr Dasgupta, explaining how the authors approached their interviews with care and sensitivity.

“This book is filled with the stories we wish we had told, and wish we had known,” the authors note. “Partly it was to open a door between generations of queer South Asians in Britain to stage a vulnerability between the past and the present.”

Even after the book had reached the editing stage, some of the interviewees contacted the authors asking for sections of their interviews to be removed for fear of being identified. “This is why it’s so important for this book to be written,” reflects Dr Dasgupta. “Even now, the stigma remains.”

One of the key insights to come from these conversations and research was the key role local authorities played in funding queer Black organisations, activism and art. From the early 1980s, the Greater London Council (GLC) distributed funds to minoritised groups in the city and set up equality units as part of a coordinated approach to tackle key social inequalities. As the book highlights, Haringey Council’s Lesbian and Gay Unit incorporated the experiences of working-class, disabled, gendered, sexualised and racialised bodies in their work.

Queer art  

The final area the authors draw on for the book is the art produced by queer South Asians in Britain. From films such as My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) which deals with the realities of homophobic and racist violence, to East is East (1999) and Bend it Like Beckham (2002), the authors note, “mainstream British South Asian filmmaking has been peculiarly preoccupied with queer life.”

Dr Dasgupta also highlights the role some outlets, such as Channel 4, played in promoting queer South Asian experiences. “Things were quite behind in terms of Black and Asian queer cultural production in London in the 1970s and 80s compared to other places but organisations like Channel 4 and the GLC helped many queer video artists produce their work. India Postcard, a short film by Sunil Gupta, was one of the first queer Indian films shown on Channel 4.”

Photographer Sunil Gupta’s pictures have documented the challenges encountered by queer British South Asians facing both racial and homophobic hostility. In an interview with Gupta in the book, he expresses disappointment in the limited progress of the past 30 years, noting a lack of discussion about the historical context and legacies left by queer artists of South Asian origin.

Looking ahead, Dr Dasgupta quotes the words of artist and activist Syrus Marcus Ware: “We need to consider what we want to remember and how we want to remember it, building an archive of our movements going forward to ensure that intergenerational memory can inform our activism, community building and organising.”

“This book is our own small contribution to that endeavour,” he says.

Dr Rohit K Dasgupta was speaking to Charlotte Kelloway, Media Relations Manager at LSE.