List of Illustrations -
Introduction -
1. Black, South Asian and Queer in 1980s Britain -
2. Shakti Disco to Club Kali: Queer Nightlife in the British South Asian Diaspora -
3. Shakti Khabar: Networks and Newsletters for Queer South Asians -
4. Queer Art and Visual Culture in the Desi Diaspora -
5. Contemporary Queer Cultural Activism -
Conclusion -
Postscript: Researching Desi Queer Lives -
Acknowledgements -
Notes -
Index.

Desi Queers reveals how diasporic South Asians have shaped LGBTQ+ movements and communities in Britain, from the 1970s to the present day. Weaving the history of 1980s anti-racism with the emergence of Black LGBTQ+ and feminist coalitions, this book highlights landmark moments in British queer life and culture through South Asian lives, and illuminates British histories of color through queer politics and creativity.From the Gay Black Group to Haringey Council's pioneering Lesbian and Gay Unit, desi queers were at the center of anti-homophobic direct action in the 1980s, including the historic 'Smash the Backlash' demo against bigotry. This activism birthed key grassroots groups of the 1980s and 1990s, such as Shakti and Naz, whose founders and early members opened a path of creative resistance to the intersecting violence of racism and homophobia-a path of solidarity echoing through the twenty-first century.These spaces and networks have been a refuge for people doubly marginalized in Britain-by experiences of homophobia within South Asian communities, and by the whiteness of mainstream queer scenes. Drawing on artistic creations, archives and oral history, Desi Queers celebrates rich traditions of social and cultural activism alongside stories of everyday life among Britain's LGBTQ+ South Asians.