Queer

Over one weekend in August 2015, three South Asian American youth camps took place across the US: Bay Area Solidarity Summer (BASS) in Oakland, CA, Chicago Desi Youth Rising (CDYR) in Chicago, IL and East Coast Solidarity Summer (ECSS) in New York City, NY. In an effort to collaborate long-distance, camp organizers asked the youth participants to collectively define three key concepts at the beginning and end of their camp expereinces. Below is a summary along with reflections on the camp experience.

Rupali Ghosh provides a review of Himanjali Sankar's Talking of Muskaan, a recently published novel about sexuality and coming of age for young adult readers.

This issue on Policing Sex explores the wider context of the criminalization of homosexuality in India, as well as visions put forth to challenge heterosexism, the police state, and misogyny. 

Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha's poems evoke borders of bodies and nation.

Sabelo Narasimhan reflects on this year's Gay Pride parade in Bombay, India. In the wake of the recent judgement criminalizing homosexuality, the images in this photoessay reveal the unbounded spirit of rebellion and resistance of the community.

This fragmented, musical novel breaks the prettiness of memory, brings irreverent humor where it should, shows the crisscross of ethnic neighborhoods in New York City, and celebrates love in the midst of violence. 

Anirvan Chatterjee takes us on a tour of Berkeley’s radical South Asian American history, and argues that historical memory is one of the key inspirations for contemporary political movements

I entered Sri Lankan Tamil politics simply by telling my own story and listening to family and community stories. My earliest childhood memories were of Jaffna (Yalpannam), Sri Lanka—the place after whom I was named. My bedtime stories were of the struggle of Tamil people. Of gatherings tear gassed. Of riots. And of my parents along with the rest of our community, standing up for our rights.