If we believe that living in UK as a Queer will have more acceptance than in India, we are proved wrong.
Here is the story of a Sikh boy who was born and brought up in UK who is gay.
The Punjabi diaspora settled in UK have held on to their culture and tradition. Being born in a Sikh migrant family in 80s, I like dance, music, fashion and arts unlike the boys my age who ran behind football and rugby.
People would tell that I should have been born a girl and not a boy. I love the Punjabi culture and tradition but there are still certain things that I do not like about the community is the patriarchy and toxic behavior of the men. I felt inferior but to stop bullying, I behaved like a real boy and used masculinity as my shield.
From a young age I knew that I liked boys but it was at that time when homophobic relations were extensive by both British and Punjabi society. I kept on denying to accept that I was gay even though I knew I was one. I kept telling to myself that I was not allowed to explore my sexuality.
My first experience of discrimination came with my race and ethnicity. I hid my sexuality but what I could not hide is my belief that I was a Sikh and would wear the turban. I always wanted to be a white, straight, blonde haired man – substantially the exact opposite of who I am. I lived away from home for few years and explored my sexuality. I stepped out into the Queer community and accepted being gay and came out to close friends. But it felt that deep down I was still not okay being a homosexual.
A lot of people would question me how can Sikhs be gay and if I am allowed to be gay. I used to think to myself that if I needed a certificate from my gurudwara telling that it is okay for me to be gay. I went on to advocate for LGBT rights and it helped me to accept who I am and my sexuality along with bringing me closer to my religion belief in Sikhism.
