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7. When did you first learn about racism and how it personally affected you?
I’ve been affected by racism a lot even at a young age (but I didn’t know how to put a name to
it). Kids used to call me a ‘t*rrorist’ and a ‘d*t head’ among other names, and took my lunch
aloo parathaa and threw it into the trash to make me look for it. I first learned about actual
racism maybe three years ago? Before that, I (note: I was brought up in an extremely antiblack
culture and recognize that I have done some pretty shitty stuff before educating myself) always
associated racism with the watered down African American lessons they taught us (the ones
stating that Rosa Park was just lazy, that MLK Jr. tripped and fell, etc.). Eventually, I discovered
the internet and became aware of so many issues it was overwhelming, much like this paragraph,
lmao. I remember being in second grade, on a trip back to India, and being terrified because the
TSA held my family and I in a small, basement room for over nine hours because we “looked
suspicious”. We missed our flight + wasn’t even compensated for it. I’m still kind of mad about
that.
8. Describe your feelings toward coming out?
I was forced out of the closet against my will (my parents secretly monitored my activity online,
saw my emails to my first girlfriend and it just ended badly and I was kicked out for three
months). I think coming out is wonderful because you’re becoming comfortable with who you
are but it’s also just a really shitty concept. Like, cis people and straight people don’t need to
come out, so why should we? We’re not any different.
9. Has your race/ethnicity ever made you feel like you can’t be queer and/or trans because that’s a “white people thing” or the fact that there weren’t any media representations of you?
Oh my goodness, absolutely. I was so confused after finding out that there was more to life that
being a cisgendered heterosexual, and once I got over that, the only media I could find was a
bunch of cis white gay men. It made me feel excluded from the community for the longest time. I
couldn’t talk to my temple about it (I’m half Hindu, half Muslim spent most of my childhood a
devout Hindu) because it was totally taboo. I know that the media is trying to get better at
representation (maybe, possibly) and I wish that we had other role models. Like, I adore Laverne
Cox, but it’s not like she can speak for trans guys, or nonbinary people, or ace people? I don’t
know.
10. What’s your advice to QTPOC who want to come out?
Be careful, wait until you can try to support yourself/know people who are willing to support you
both emotionally and financially if it doesn’t go well, remember that this might be a bit shocking
to some and to give them a little bit of time. If they don’t handle it positively ever, then
reconsider the relationship. Best of luck.