Community Leaders and Organizations

Hi friends, it’s been a minute since I’ve connected with you but things have been very busy on my end. I wanted Parveen’s story of his experience as a south asian dad with a queer son to be my next post. However, we just lost his oldest brother, Pardeep, to a heart attack at the young age of 57 and Parveen has not been able to write his story yet. Pardeep was a strong supporter of this blog and a mentor to all of us. We all appreciate his love and support over the years and we will cherish his memory and the way he showed everyone that they were important.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:

“Compared with white people, South Asian people living in Canada have a higher prevalence and incidence of CVD (cardiovascular disease), have twice the burden of diabetes and have a different cardiovascular risk profile” as per the following study:

Cardiovascular risk among South Asians living in Canada: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Avesha Rana, BHSc,1,2 Russell J de Souza, ScD, RD,1,2,3 Sujane Kandasamy, BSc, BA,1,2 Scott A. Lear, PhD,4,5 and Sonia S. Anand, MD, PhD1,

Link to study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4183167/

Please take care of yourself and your loved ones by knowing your risk factors, living a healthy lifestyle and getting proper medical care.

See this link: https://www.heartandstroke.ca/-/media/pdf-files/canada/south-asian-resources/366_southasianheathyeating_single.ashx

Getting back to ‘Love is Pyaar’, I have had the honour and privilege over the past couple of months to meet and collaborate with various organizations and learn more about the LGBTQ2S+ community and their joys, desires, and concerns.

Bollywood Reimagined

#BollywoodReimagined

Recently my friend Vidya connected me to a wonderful young choreographer, dancer, creative named Sue Aranha, who founded her company called Naach For Fun. Sue is an extremely talented visionary creative whose “Bollywood Reimagined” work has been featured on ETalk, City News and various other outlets. As per her website, “Bollywood and the South Asian media have often depicted the Queer community in derogatory & offensive ways. They’ve been stereotyped, mocked, and shown as caricatures of themselves in several mainstream movies. This is why we’ve recreated 4 Iconic Bollywood songs by replacing prominent Bollywood actors with members belonging to the South Asian Queer Community in Toronto.” I believe there are 9 videos now…check them out!!

Find Sue on IG: @sueshiqdancer @naachforfunstudio @naachforfun @suesdoodals

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3JpNkMP9C-VQuLl-bgfhwg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/naachforfun

Website: https://www.naachforfun.com/

Sue invited me and Parveen to participate in her most recent project in the Bollywood Reimagined series titled “Mast Kalander”, where we played the roles of parents of our queer daughter celebrating her mehndi. Watch the Mast Kalander video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVaeuvZbD9g

While on set for this project we met an amazing group of GTA-based young south asian people from the LGBTQS2+ community and their allies. It was interesting hearing about their lives, careers, families, friends and relationships. They were very open, honest and welcoming to us. There was one other mother present who is a loving, supportive parent to her queer child and both of them also participated in the project. Although it was lovely to meet this #proudmom and two married couples, it was disheartening to hear stories from others about how their parents do not accept them and their sexuality. I sincerely hope these parents realize what fantastic kids they have and look deeper at them beyond their sexuality and decide to support them and whoever they choose to love. It would be such a shame to not share in your child’s life fully.

Sue also interviewed me and Parveen for her website as “proud” parents and allies of our queer son. Look out for the interview on her website soon!

Queer South Asian Women’s Network

During the Mast Kalander project we had the privilege of acting the roles of parents to a beautiful, intelligent and talented young lady named Alyy Patel (IG: @alyypatel).

Alyy is the founder of Queer South Asian Women’s Network (IG: @QSAWNetwork and Website: https://www.qsawnetwork.com/ ).

“The QSAW Network seeks to engage folks who are disconnected from the mainstream LGBTQ+ community, as well as foster a safer space for exploring sexuality and gender without a need to 'out' oneself. By adopting a cultural sensitivity lens, we aim to create meaningful spaces and content no matter one's level of outness.”

Alyy is a bright, motivated and driven person who is pursuing her PhD at UBC with the support from the Government of Canada via the SSHRC doctoral grant.

Alyy also recently released a book titled, "Don't Tell My Parents. Queer Diasporic Truths", which is available on Amazon.

Emergence: Out of the Shadows

#emergencefilm #emergenceoutoftheshadows

While reading, learning and exploring about various south asian LGBTQS2+ groups and leaders in the GTA, I came across a Canadian social worker and filmmaker named Alex Sangha (IG: @alexsangha Website: https://alexsangha.com/ ). Alex is the founder of Sher Vancouver, a registered charity for Queer South Asians and their friends, families and allies. (IG: @shervancouver). Sher Films is a division of Sher Vancouver and they recently released a documentary titled “Emergence: Out of the Shadows”, which explores “the taboo topic of being gay and lesbian in the south asian community of Metro Vancouver and abroad”. I found it real, honest and very moving.

Check it out (IG: @emergencefilm website: https://emergencefilm.net/ )

Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxye-3OVN9c

My friend Vidya also shared a reel on IG by @padma.iyer who is a parent of a queer child and a social worker. The reel depicts a south asian child telling his father that he is gay. The father approaches his son in a tender, loving way that is sweet and reassuring. See video here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CiK6f8SI-H1/

I think I’ve left you with a lot of information and links to explore. Take your time and watch the great projects that have been created and support these people and their endeavors.

I am excited to watch the film “Joyland” at the Toronto International Film Festival in a few days where “A Pakistani family confronts emotional intimacy and social expectations when their son begins performing with a trans dancer, in Saim Sadiq’s staggering debut feature — winner of the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize and the Queer Palm at the Cannes Film Festival.”

Ask me about it later, or better yet, go support a desi film and desi filmmaker at TIFF 2022.

https://tiff.net/events/joyland

On another note, I also attended the first 2SLGBTQ+ Personal Safety and Hate Crime seminar by Peel Regional Police in early August. However, I am having lunch with the Chief of Peel Regional Police next week so I’ll share all that amazing information in a future blog post so I can consolidate any new information I gather at our lunch.

Take care, stay well and love each other, but most importantly, love ALL your children:)