A Queer Desi

Fiji-Indian. Radical. Forced Migrant. Juris Doctor. Reluctant Dreamer. Aspiring Terrorist. Undocumented. Unafraid. Unapologetic. Unashamed.

We don’t need heterosexual society to validate our love. I feel we shouldn’t be going that way. You don’t build houses from worn and broken bricks of already demolished temples. We’re fighting to stop being criminalised according to the antisodomy laws. Once equality and equity are assured, other rights will automatically follow. Gay marriage is an urban, elitist concern among gays who are financially well off and socially privileged. These people are not in tune with the numerous burning issues that confront us.

—Ashok Row Kavi, one of the pioneers of the LGBT movement in India and founder of Humsafar Trust.