I am like everyone else and nobody else. We are different yet we are all the same…
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Tag: Gaysian
Out and open to close friends…
British Indian lesbian living in Ireland…
Thank you!
Last week I got a call from the Independent that Gaysian Faces made it on the Rainbow List 2015: Ones to Watch.
It was a nice surprise, for the past couple of months… it’s been quite an organic journey.
I have to give credit to Kip Fulbeck, his book Part Asian/100% Hapa inspired me to do Gaysian Faces.
My sincere thanks and gratitude to all the participants who have taken the time to share their stories with me and all of you.
Thank you to the Rainbow List Judges and the Gaysian Faces supporters for nominating me.
I’ll be heading back to San Francisco (where I’m originally from) for three weeks to visit my mum. San Francisco is home to Trikone; the oldest South Asian LGBTQ organisation in the world. I’ll be reconnecting with old friends from Trikone and they will be sharing their stories with you too. 🙂
In solidarity,
Peta
ps. If you would like to be a part of Gaysian Faces, here’s our FAQs. If you have any questions you can drop me a line gaysianfaces[@]gmail.com
LGBTQ Rights are Human Rights
LGBTQ Rights are Human Rights
Meet the Rani…
Meet the Rani. The Khawaja Sara. The Khusra. The Hijra. The one and only Seemaa Butt #gaysianfaces #salgbtuk
Celebrity street artist Pegasus creates an art piece for the Naz & Matt Foundation
Pegasus met Naz a few years ago when he asked permission for Naz’s clinic’s (Face Clinic London / Soho Skin) outside wall in Soho to be used as a canvas for Pegasus’ open air exhibition of his street art.
Shortly afterwards, a fabulously cheeky drawing of Marilyn Monroe, wearing American flag hot pants and sneakers, appeared outside the clinic, amazing staff and putting smiles on the faces of everyone who walked past. The beautiful artwork has since become a tourist attraction and much loved by the Soho community.
Pegasus has since been creating high-profile artworks for Kate Middleton, to celebrate the upcoming birth of the future King of England. And most recently, the inspiringly cheeky portrait of a young Queen Elizabeth to celebrate her becoming the longest reigning monarch of England. Rumour has it that the palace and the Queen love it.
Pegasus has very kindly offered to donate his latest masterpiece to the Naz and Matt Foundation, to be installed inside the clinic of Face Clinic London and Soho Skin – the place that he met Naz and they became friends.
We (Gay Muslims) will always be here…
Many people say you can’t be Muslim and gay. However we are here – we exist. Although we are shunned by society, we will always be here.
UK AMA Nomination: Muslim Drag Queens
Earlier this year, filmmaker & journalist Kieran Yates produced “Muslim Drag Queens” for Guardian Docs. Which received over one million views on the Guardian’s website.
The documentary featured Asifa Lahore and followed asylum-seeker Ali as he transformed into Shilpa Jaan.
Kieran has been nominated for a UK AMA award for Best Investigation piece, if Kieran wins – this will be the first AMA award for a Gaysian documentary.
This is one of the biggest nights for Asian media professionals!
Good luck Kieran!
Unfreedom Screening (Banned In India)
Birmingham South Asians LGBT – Finding A Voice, Humsafar Leicester, MySpiritualSoul.com, Saathi Night and GaysianFaces.com presents “Unfreedom” a film by Raj Amit Kumar.
This film was banned in India due to the film’s LGBT content; this will be the first screening of Unfreedom here in the UK.
Unfreedom is an urgent contemporary thriller about a society torn apart by political, religious, and sexual turmoil.
Shifting between New York and New Delhi, the film juxtaposes two powerful and unflinching stories about religious fundamentalism and intolerance, one of which follows a Muslim terrorist attempting to silence a liberal Muslim scholar, while the other is about a young woman who defies her devout father and escapes an arranged marriage because she is secretly embroiled in a taboo lesbian romance.
In this searing portrait of the polarized world we live in, all four characters go to their absolute limit—and beyond—in their struggle to defend their deeply-held and conflicting viewpoints on freedom, faith, family and love.
We’ll be screening Unfreedom on 29th November 2015, at the Mac in Birmingham. There will be a social mixer from 2pm to 3pm, followed by the screening. Free admission.
Birmingham South Asians LGBT – Finding A Voice: Birmingham South Asians LGBT – Finding A Voice is an independent, non-funded social/support group for South Asians aged 18+ who identify as LGBT, regardless of faith, culture, religion or disability. Reaching out across Birmingham and the Midlands, FAV aims to empower individuals to find acceptance within themselves and the wider community.
Humsafar Leicester: Humsafar is a South Asian support service for the LGBT community living in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
MySpiritualSoul.com: Manjinder provides Life Coaching & Spiritual Counselling to LGBTQI South Asians worldwide. Working on LGBTQI Rights for South Asians with Indian LGBTQIorganisations primarily. He’s currently finalising his self-help book ‘Bollywood Gay’, whilst releasing weekly video blogs and conducting
empowering workshops. Collaborating with Stonewall and Barbados on many
topics that need to be addressed for LGBTQI ethnic minorities.
Saathi Night: Saathi is a monthly Gaysian Club night in the West Midlands. They have been on the scene for over 13 years. They provide a safe space for the Gaysian community to let individuals be themselves.
GaysianFaces.com: Gaysian Faces is a Queer Anthropology Photography Project focusing on the South Asian LGBTQ community. We take a headshot of the individual and they write on a piece of paper “who they are” or whatever they like to write. We merge those two images together. Our objective is to capture the beauty, creativity, diversity and individuality of the Gaysian community.
