The queer South Asian experience will be the focus of a keynote address at Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s (KPU) inaugural Gender and Sexual Equity Symposium.
Happening on Oct. 29, this half-day event hosted by KPU’s Office of Equity and Inclusive Communities (OEIC) will be dedicated to the topic of gender and sexual equity.
The keynote speaker is Sonali (Alyy) Patel, a leading 2SLGBTQIA+ activist, researcher, author and speaker. Patel will present “Dual Exile: Being Queer & South Asian,” a talk exploring the complexities of living at the intersection of South Asian and lesbian identities in Canada.
Drawing from lived experience and years of research on the topic, Patel will examine the exclusion many queer South Asian women face, both within their families and queer communities.
“I’ll be speaking from the perspective of a second-generation immigrant child who isn’t really out to my parents in the Western sense,” says Patel, a PhD candidate at UBC. “I want to highlight how our experiences as South Asians are very different from what we know in the West, especially as it relates to coming out and navigating relationships with family.”
The other aspect of Patel’s talk explores anti-South Asian racism within the queer community.
“Oftentimes in the queer community there's this understanding that, yes, racism happens but people don't recognize the way that South Asians are affected by it and particularly the intersectional way in which South Asian queer women are affected within queer spaces,” says Patel.
The keynote address will be followed by a panel discussion titled “Experiencing Trans Joy at KPU,” featuring KPU students who will talk about their personal experiences.
This inaugural event aims to bring together community members to engage in meaningful dialogue and learn from one another.
“Now more than ever we need to come together in community, to learn from one another and to truly center queer and trans joy,” says Trina Prince, Director of Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion at KPU. “In a time where hate towards the 2SLGBTQIA+ is ever growing, knowing that the OEIC and KPU is hosting an event like this to center the topic of gender and sexual equity is crucial and heartwarming. It makes me proud to work here."
The Gender and Sexual Equity Symposium will be held on Thursday, Oct. 29 from 12:30 to 4:00 p.m. in the KPU Surrey Conference Centre. The event is free and open to the KPU community and the public, but registration is required.
