Photos by Steven Rosen

All of us desi queers binge watching Made in Heaven are witnessing a not-so-quiet  revolution on the digital screen. While Bollywood plays catch up on the silver screen with the recent release of Ek Ladki Ko Dekha, internet-driven platforms have been offering wider and fuller representation of LGBTQ Indian characters for the past couple years. Made in Heaven, the steamy web series directed by Zoya Akhtar that premiered on Amazon in March, chronicles

It’s that time of year again and we’ve got your list of desi queer things to do when the South Asians take over town! Below is a round up of NYC Pride related events—including marches and parties.  Bookmark this page and keep checking back for updated info.  Email us if you’ve got a desi queer tip in NYC.   Sunday, June 3rd Queens Gay Pride Parade & Festival 12PM Kick off Pride

Interesting read in the New York Times about India’s third gender  which profiles the lives of members of the hijra community.  While the Government of India officially recognized transgender as a third gender in 2014, harassment and marginalization are still a fact of life for many members of the community. The article touches on the paradoxical position hijras have in Indian society—often revered and welcomed at weddings and births but

Award winning Indian filmmaker and gay activist Sridhar Rangayan’s narrative feature “Evening Shadows” will have its World Premiere in Sydney at the 25th Queer Screen Mardi Gras Film Festival on February 25th at the Event Cinemas. The film recently received a U/A certificate by the Indian censor board, in a landmark decision that offers hope to the Indian LGBTQ community.  Set in a small town in Southern India, the film Evening

“I’m Sikh, and culturally the older generation don’t accept homosexuality. My father ordered me to marry a woman because he thought that would cure my homosexuality.” Ranjeep, a Sikh man living in the UK describes his family’s extreme response when he came out to them as gay in this BBC article about LGBTQ South Asians who are being forced into heterosexual marriages in Britain. The Foreign Office and Home Office set up

“I couldn’t be the out and proud leatherman I am today without the support of my family.” Ali Mushtaq wrote on Facebook recently, alongside a photo of himself with his grandparents. The 27-year-old Pakistani-American is the current reigning Mr. Long Beach Leather. He’s lived with his grandparents since the age of 11 and came out to them when he was 15.  He started exploring the LA leather scene in college and didn’t  hide