ABSTRACT
Queer South Asian experiences in the US are testimonies to that exclusion and their activism is a defiance of that conservatism In this chapter I document queer South Asian activism in the US This chapter documents queer South Asian activism in the US More specifically, it traces the memories of organizing, the spaces created and the internal challenges that confront the sanctity of the space. The chapter builds on and extends previous scholarship with primary data which includes 30 in-depth interviews with queer South Asians in the US, many of whom were founding members of various queer South Asian organizations. The rise of organizations such as SALGA, Khush, MASALA, Sangat and Trikone NW, Trikone Atlanta, Trikone-Chicago in the American South is testament to how far the organizing has come. The chapter also discusses four of the most repeated concerns: India's hegemony, sexism and cis-gender privilege, issues around class, goal orientation and the future of organizing.
