LGBTQ Rights are Human Rights
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Tag: Gaysian
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.
They give me pain. They did their best and I did mine. I won – they couldn’t change me.
Our bucket list for the Independent’s Rainbow List 2015
It’s that time of the year, where we get a chance to celebrate and acknowledge accomplishments within the UK Queer community. This year from the Gaysian community Asifa Lahore/Asif Quraishi is one of the judges. Over the last couple years I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know some movers and shakers in the community. Through their contributions, organisations, blogs, videos, social groups, parties, plays, books and humanitarian work – they’ve inspired me. Some do it quietly and some do it loudly – but their hearts burn with passion to make a difference in our community.
I’ll be adding more names to our bucket list, we’re still waiting back from folks.
If you have any suggestions for this blog post, please email us… include their name and links to their work/website.
In order to nominate someone for the RAINBOW LIST please email rainbowlist@independent.co.uk
- Put their name in the “Subject” Line.
- Tell the Independent why they should be on the Rainbow List.
- Entries must be received by 20 October 2015!
Our picks….
Harjit Sarang: Surrogacy Lawyer and LGBT Activist
Matt Naz Mahmood-Ogston: Founder of the Naz and Matt Foundation
Khakan Qureshi: Founder of Birmingham’s First South Asian LGBT Support Group Finding a Voice
Aashi Gahlot: Founder of SHOR BREAK THE SILENCE
Makinder Chahal: Founder of Humsafar (Trade Sexual Health Service) and Dosti.
Sal Khalifa: Co-Director of Trade Sexual Health. Sal has been representing South Asian LGB&T communities for a number of levels, including at national decision-making strategic levels.
Mazyar Shirali: Founder of Persian LGBT Advisory Services
Bobby Tiwani: Theatre Producer & Cultural Activist. Founder of Your Safar
Manjinder Singh Sidhu : Founder of My Spiritual Soul
Vanessa (Urban Desi): Founder of Urban Desi, providing a safe party space for the Gaysian community.
DJ Ritu (Club Kali): Founder of Club Kali, providing a safe party space for the Gaysian community.
Parminder Sekhon: Executive Director of Programmes at the Naz Project
DJ Perdes (Saathi Night): Founder of Saathi Night, providing a safe party space for the Gaysian community.
Naila (Saathi Night): Hostess of Saathi Night
DJ Kal: Resident DJ at Saathi Night
Niranjan Kamatkar: Artistic Director of GFEST & Wise Thoughts
Imaan: Imaan supports LGBT Muslim people, their families and friends, to address issues of sexual orientation within Islam. It provides a safe space and support network to address issues of common concern through sharing individual experiences and institutional resources.
Sarbat: Sarbat is a social and support group for LGBT Sikhs. We offer a platform for like-minded Sikhs from all walks of life and aim to promote the LGBT Sikh cause in a fair and courteous manner.
Rose Neelam: Safra Project and Faith Communities Officer at UK Black Pride
Omar Kuddus: LGBT & Human Rights Advocate, Director of GayAsylumUK
Asian Lesbian Global Warriors: The ALGW network is a place where we can showcase this great work and help provide support and reassurance to help those who are on a similar journey to reach their highest potential.
Nick McGlynn: Head of Social Media (UK) @ Liveable Lives (Prof Kath Browne (University of Brighton) and Dr Niharika Banerjea (University of Delhi) founded Liveable Lives)
I realised that it (being gay) is purely a natural phenomenon…
