As always, there has been a lot going on in the world of queer brown people. Good, bad, tragic, uplifting, we have it all. Here is just a fraction:
A lesbian couple in Manesar, India, dared to fall in love… The consequence to their love came when the couple got married, shortly after which they showed up in court asking for protection from their own families.
Watch this video on The Video News Portal to learn more about what happened.
Now let’s move across India to the Himalayas for the next bit of news. Nepal is going to host its biggest “gay parade” next month. It will be in Chitawan on August 14, during the Hindu Gaijatra festival. Here is the full story:
Nepal to Host Largest Gay Parade Next Month
While this is old news, I can’t help but point it out since it is mentioned in the article above: Nepal hosted the FIRST same-sex (Hindu) marriage in South Asia… and it was for two white lesbians! (Nepal Lesbian Wedding: U.S. Couple Weds In Nation’s First Public Same-Sex Ceremony) Do I have to go on?
Alright, now for some red, white and blue… and brown, and all the other colors of the rainbow. Navin Manglani & Navin Dargani, aka “Navin & Navin” are a Manhattan couple who have been together 6 years. They got married among hundreds in New York. Here’s some of the coverage they’ve gotten:
Check out their completely adorable engagement photos here.
My next piece of news: Facebook: you’ve got a (gender) identity crisis!
This is a petition that I came across that asks facebook to allow people more options for gender identity on their profile. I was pleasantly surprised with an image of Gaysi Author Deen’s face when I went to sign the petition! Here is his statement:
“I’m a transman. I am physically, emotionally and historically both male and female, though I present as male… By not allowing them to be themselves online, Facebook is leaving out many, many transgender people and it is limiting the scope of who we are and can be”
Now go sign the petition:
http://www.allout.org/en/petition/facebook
Lastly, I’m going to end with some sad news. This past Saturday, July 23rd, Chicago’s queer and South Asian communities lost a very dear person, Ifti (Iftikhar) Nasim. Well known for his LGBTQ activism, and his poetry that reflects being gay, Muslim, and Pakistani. He is and will be very, very missed by many.