Celebrating the history of South Asian queer activism in New York City means recognizing the long networks of solidarity, community activism, and care that are its foundation. Examples of such “transformative solidarity” and collective care were exhibited within these enduring networks throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as in other points of cross-cultural, cross-ethnic organizing.
Queer South Asian activist organizations remain present throughout the city still. It’s also important to note that while groups like SALGA or SATQC (the South Asian Trans and Queer Collective) continue explicitly fighting for LGTBQ+ rights, many queer South Asian New Yorkers are on the forefront of activist organizing efforts that are not explicitly queer. They can be found working in leftist activist spaces throughout the city, tackling everything from community health to anti-gentrification initiatives.
On the topic of South Asian activism, Har — a queer transfemme Punjabi Sikh who was active in SASI (the South Asian Solidarity Initiative and YKR (a South Asian American theater collective) — shared, “It’s brilliant and wild how much queer South Asians are overrepresented in organizing spaces.” “It is really non-men who do all the work,” she added.
The organizational initiatives taking place outside of masculinist and patriarchal frameworks may explain the framework of care, camaraderie, and intimacy, she explained. Her point is supported by the overrepresentation of queer and transfemme South Asian Americans who make up the majority of membership and leadership in radical diasporic spaces. Sasha, a queer Sri Lankan organizer who serves as the director of CAAAV, called this the “oh, you too?” moment.
The disproportionate presence of queer femme South Asian workers raises questions of burden and responsibility. But these queer women have crafted spaces that reject care work as an invisibilized or feminized form of labor to be forgotten, proving that care is both political and also foundational to powerful solidarity movements. This legacy of transformative solidarity against anti-Blackness, transphobia, the caste system, and religious hate is what allows for NYC-based queer South Asian organizers to put their bodies on the line and to build meaningful relationships that keep these networks of care thriving today.
