Winnipeg Desi Queers offers welcoming space for 2SLGBTQ+ people of South Asian heritage
'This is a duty that we don't even want to run away from,' group member says
On a rainy night in downtown Winnipeg, members of the Winnipeg Desi Queers group reunited for their first performance in months and danced the night away to Bollywood bops at Club 200.
Winnipeg Desi Queers was officially created last year, with events providing spaces for South Asian members of the city's 2SLGBTQ+ community to feel comfortable, be seen and, for some, even a second family, the group's members say.
On Friday three of the group's members did solo performances in traditional Indian outfits, with others at the club joining them on the dance floor in between.
"We all had the same motivation — that why do all the queers, South Asian people have to go to Toronto or Vancouver to create that safe space? Why can't we make it here? And someone has to do that," said Love Multani, one of the group's founding members. "Trailblazing does take a lot … and we did it."
Since coming to Winnipeg in 2017, Multani says, they've found new family in the community in Winnipeg even before the creation of the group. Multani recalls feeling isolated from their South Asian community while coming out, worrying about whether they would be accepted, the challenges in doing so and even some of the mistreatment that came from family members.
Now those family ties are non-existent, they say.
Having a space like Winnipeg Desi Queers would have made it easier at the time, Multani says, but now, 2SLGBTQ+ people in the city can see they're supported not just by members of South Asian communities, but also a strong network of allies.
Some have even reached out to Multani asking for advice on how to navigate their own fears in the process of embracing their sexuality.
The dance performances also feel like a way of reclaiming some elements of their culture they once felt they would be forced to repress, Multani says.
"Here is where I bring those people as well, to show them what it means. They see you being your true self and your true cultural attires and what not," Multani said. "It makes you feel like you made the change and you're creating that space and slowly changing people's mindset. And it's going to take years, but at least we're starting somewhere."
Multani says the group often is thanked by those who didn't know where to start: "We just want to … create something for people that we didn't have when we needed it."
Friday's event — Heera Mandi: A Celebration of Courtesans — is an ode to sex workers of decades past from the red-light district of Heera Mandi in Lahore, Pakistan, Multani says. They were joined Friday night by two other members of the group, Angad Sandhu and Dilpreet Singh.
The performers, dressing up as Bollywood actresses or item girls, imitate the Bollywood style of Indian dance to a mix of Indian classical or Bollywood hip-hop music, Singh says.
The trio wowed the club with their own renditions of different exotic dances. The shoulder-to-shoulder crowd whistled, clapped and cheered, with some even finding a hard time getting a good vantage point. Most people in the room had a phone in hand, snapping pictures and getting video of the performers.
"I feel like a whole different person," Singh said. "I feel like one side of Dilpreet exits and a new side of Dilpreet enters my body."
Sandhu says Friday's performance was extremely important.
"I've come from a place where this was all taboo, and today here I am and making this space for other people to join us," Sandhu said. "I am inspiring many others out there like me who can come out and be themselves. It's super important for me."
Winnipeg Desi Queers is still in its relative infancy, with fewer than 10 performances under their belts, Sandhu says. However, they try to perform at least once every few months, depending on the performers' work and school schedules.
Multani hopes one day the founders can pass the reins over to the next group of trailblazers.
"Of course we're not going to be forever part of this group, someone else will take over," Multani said. "But whenever that happens we will … make sure that these people feel empowered all the time, because we're the first ones. It's our duty. I think this is a duty that we don't even want to run away from."
