To be young, gay/lesbian and a minority

[eridani]

http://www.colorsnw.com/cover_story.html

In interviewing for the story, we were gratified to find a remarkable cross-section of individuals who embodied this borderlands experience. We hoped, but did not expect, to find a few shared themes that would tie the story together. In truth, the results surprised us. Despite their completely different ethnic, cultural, gender, sexual identity and regional backgrounds, each woman or man told stories whose sub-themes were remarkably similar and complementary. These themes, of coming out, self-acceptance and community serve as the framework for this piece and, we hope, put a multifaceted human face on to the often shrill, partisan rhetoric around gay rights.

This isn’t to say that we should think of queer people of color somehow as being lumped into one, indistinguishable sub-group. Nothing could, in fact, be further from the truth. Everyone has his or her story to tell; everyone has experienced a unique set of struggles, pains and triumphs. But there is a reason for queer people of color to celebrate their struggle together – and for everyone to understand and support them in their journey.

All of the people who shared their stories consider themselves to be community activists in one form or another. This group included Tamika Johnson, a 28-year-old African-American woman trained in domestic violence education and counseling, who moved to Seattle five years ago. Mala Nagarajan, 37, and her life partner Vega Subramaniam, 39, are both Indian American and are involved in a lawsuit to legalize same-sex marriage in Washington state.

Vietnamese-American Truc Nguyen, 33, moved from Connecticut to Seattle in 1995 and was the recipient of a Minority Executive Directors Coalition President’s Award for her work with the King County agency last year. A 27-year-old born in India who lost his grandmother to anti-Sikh religious violence, Harnik Gulati has earned his Master’s in Public Health and Social Work and done extensive work on HIV/AIDS issues. Last, but certainly not least, anti-rape educator Xandra Ibarra moved to Seattle from El Paso, Texas, four years ago. She works at Communities Against Rape and Abuse, and is a member of the nation’s first all-queer burlesque troupe, Burly Q.

Here they are, in their own words, sharing deeply personal and often-painful stories about family, community and identity.

[eridani]

1. SElf-kick. n/t