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 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 Rita Hirani, a seasoned social entrepreneur and psychologist with over 40 years of professional experience in the charity sector, focusing on social justice, domestic abuse, mental health, and wellbeing.
Rita is the Co-Founder of Club Kali Network and has established several pioneering services, including the National LGBTQ Domestic Violence Helpline and the first Resettlement & Outreach Programme for Refuge. She has also been instrumental in launching Camden Safety Net, a collaborative effort with the police, perpetrators, and survivors of domestic abuse.
DIVA spoke to Rita to learn more about her powerful career and the impact of her groundbreaking work.
When you were growing up did you feel like you saw queer South Asian representation?
There were some groups starting up for Black minoritised communities and I remember going to a few of those. I discovered a little club at the Lesbian and Gay Centre in Farringdon and that’s when I walked into this space and saw Brown faces and the music I grew up with. It felt like coming home. It felt like I’d found my people. It’s so important to have a reference point to be able to say that there is someone out there who looks like me. I can be me. It was that freedom. It was absolute freedom. Discovering other people was freedom.
In the initial years of Club Kali, what was the response from the community?
When we set up Club Kali, one of the things I was really clear about was that it would be a safe, celebratory space. DJ Ritu and I set up a club night and it became a community. It became a global community. Throughout the decades, it’s become an intergenerational space to celebrate South Asian heritage for all LGBTQIA people. It’s a real meeting space. Ameeting space of different cultures. The language is music. You can feel connected. There is an LGBTQIA community which is there no matter where you come from in the world. The language of music connects us, binds us, and empowers us.
When we set up Club Kali it was so important that it was a safe space. We had a lot of hate mail, and we had to be careful about the space outside the venue. We had a no-photos policy to ensure that people weren’t outed. We had to do a lot of work to make sure that space was safe because a lot of people weren’t out, and many had been through forced marriages. People came from all over the world. We had people checking in their suitcases! The space was so powerful that people could just be exactly who they were. It was just beautiful.
What advice would you give to young activists?
The journey of life is an interesting one. As a young woman, I was so angry about the evils of the world and politics and government. I would go on the marches and demos, and want the world to be a better place. And that is great because together we’re speaking up and showing what’s wrong. There’s a lot in that. But I also think it’s about allyship and I think when we isolate ourselves with a single cause, it’s dangerous. It’s a divide-and-rule strategy. That only serves the powers that be. For young activists, be angry. Be bold. But also be united. Avoid creating a hierarchy of oppression. When one of us is attacked, we’re all attacked. The path to change is through uniting in our diversity and differences.
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
DIVA magazine celebrates 30 years in print in 2024. If you like what we do, then get behind LGBTQIA media and keep us going for another generation. Your support is invaluable.
