Ahead of the Queer Britain x SAHM event Desi Lesbians: The Pioneering Women, DIVA spoke to the inspirational trailblazers who will be speaking about the power of representation
BY ELLA GAUCI
On 4 August, Queer Britain and South Asian Heritage Month will be hosting a ground-breaking event which brings together four game-changers within the UK’s South Asian LGBTQIA community. One of these trailblazers is Savitri (Savi) Hensman, a dedicated and influential activist and writer known for her tireless work in advocating for anti-racism, LGBTQIA rights, feminism, disability rights, and human rights. Born in Sri Lanka, Savi’s journey has taken her from her early days at London’s Black Lesbian and Gay Centre to playing a pivotal role in local justice and inclusion efforts, such as her involvement with the Haringey Lesbian and Gay Sub-Committee in the ’80s. Beyond her activism, she has made significant contributions to health and social care involvement and continues to push for greater equity within faith communities.
DIVA spoke to Savi to learn more about her powerful career.
Queer South Asian voices are often forgotten or silenced. When you were growing up did you have queer South Asian role models or mentors?
No! It was a very different situation growing up. I was born in the early 1960s and came to the UK when I was a small child. This was even before the decriminalisation of sex between men in England so it was a very different era. It was generally not a very LGBTQIA-friendly scenario. Within that, those who were people of colour or people of global majority heritage would have been even more marginalised. There was a lot of racism around when I was growing up. It made it even harder for people to come out from Black or minority groups.
There was a real lack of role models. There were quite a lot of crude caricatures of what gay people were like. There were also crude caricatures of those of us who were Asian. Those two categories didn’t generally meet. There were very few positive images for somebody like me.
What were the early days like at the Black Lesbian and Gay Centre in Peckham? What was it like to have that space?
I was an Outreach and Development worker at the Black Lesbian and Gay Centre from 1985-1994. We started in an annex of Tottenham Town Hall and then we ended up in a centre in Peckham in the early nineties. We’d been looking for somewhere that would be easier to hold drop-ins, and events, and have a library amongst other resources. It was great when we found somewhere that was big enough and affordable enough to move into even if a railway arch wasn’t exactly the most luxurious accommodation. There were various challenges like talking to somebody on the phone when there were trains pulling up overhead! There were a lot of challenges – there were a lot of people who were very isolated, facing multiple issues that were affecting them. Some people couldn’t even speak when they first rang us up. It took time to build that confidence and trust among people and assist them with practical tasks. It was really valuable.
What was it like to have this designated space?
Having a space that’s for a particular community can give an opportunity to give and receive mutual support. To see ourselves in some ways embodied in others and reflected in others like us. Not to feel so alone.
You’ve written a lot about inclusion within religious spaces. Why is this topic so important to you?
My parents were Christians, and I am a Christian but I also recognise that those values can be found in people of other faiths and none. That’s been an area of importance for me. Injustice and inequality happen within faith communities as well as outside of them. For many LGBTQIA people, even those who haven’t been people of faith, sometimes the kind of prejudice which has become intertwined with the language or symbols of faith can have a damaging effect. People may feel not as good, not as worthy, and it can also affect the way that we behave. For me, it’s been very important to break through some of those misunderstandings about the Bible and Christian tradition and instead focus on the core of the faith that I hold around love, accepting and reflecting God’s love for us, trying to treat others in the way that we want to be treated.
What advice would you give to young activists?
Firstly, to recognise that what you’re doing is important and valuable even if it seems like you’re not making much headway or it seems that people are going backwards. It takes a lot of time and it can take ages for our efforts to bear fruit. It’s important to keep pushing onwards and not underestimate the difference being made.
Desi Lesbians: The Pioneering Women will take place on Sunday 4 August at 1 pm at Queer Britain, 2 Granary Square, King’s Cross, London, N1C 4BH. The event will include a screening of Discovering Kali followed by a panel discussion and Q&A session. Book your tickets at: eventbrite.co.uk/e/desi-lesbians-the-pioneering-women
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