In 2017, the Marriage Law Postal Survey showed 61.6% of participants voted in favour of same-sex marriages. In spite of this, the South Asian-Australian community seems to be stuck in the past.
Queer inclusion sentiments are far from accepted within many South Asian communities in Australia, putting the South Asian - Australian queer community at a crossroads between inclusivity and conservatism.
According to Kamalika Dasgupta, founder of SheQu, a non-profit organisation that supports queer and multiculturally diverse women, this crossroad needs to be abolished.
“You can either be a culturally diverse person or you can be gay,” she explained. She outlined that this view is particularly held within older generations of South Asians living in Australia, who have grown up in conservative environments themselves.
“It’s a combination of glass ceilings that you have to break.” Ms Dasgupta said, explaining that, unfortunately, these glass ceilings often begin in the homes of many queer South Asian-Australians.
According to Robin, a bisexual South Asian-Australian woman, having to face a community with conservative ideals contributes to declining mental health.
“Knowing that I could never be accepted by my family is one of the most painful realisations I had, feeling like an outlier, alone and unworthy was, and to some extent still is, taxing on my mental health,” she said.
“Being a South Asian woman in Australia, it’s difficult enough to find a safe space with people who also balance the two cultures. It’s even more difficult when you’re queer,” she explained.
Many queer South Asians are fearful of coming out to their families and communities, with some opting to wear masks while marching for Pride Month, or asking friends to march on their behalf.
These conservative beliefs end up being the shackles that psychologically bind South Asian-Australians today. Public figures may be shattering glass ceilings, but as Ms Dasgupta remarks, the first one is often in our own homes.
“We, as a community, need to have more dialogue with our parents, and if there is any homophobia, we need to correct them. Sometimes we just have to take the initiative [to do that].”
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