Update: LGBT Group Granted Permission to March in India Day Parade

SALGA, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving New York’s queer desi (South Asian) community, today announces that the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) has granted SALGA permission to march in New York City’s annual India Day Parade (August 15).

Just over two hours after announcing that SALGA would protest FIA’s non-response and presumed denial of SALGA’s application to march in the India Day Parade, FIA President Nirav Mehta confirmed in writing that SALGA’s application has been approved and that SALGA will be allowed to march in the parade from now on.

This last-minute decision comes as the result of the advocacy of so many people, including Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Councilman Danny Dromm, Chhaya CDC Executive Director Seema Agnani, Reshma Saujani, and SALGA’s Steering Committee and members. SALGA thanks everyone who worked so hard on this for their efforts.

“It’s at times like these when you realize how many strong allies you really have,” said Shawn Jain, co-organizer of SALGA’s India Day activities. “We remain open to building a relationship with FIA, but it has to be based on mutual respect. No more delays, and no more questioning of SALGA’s integrity.”

“Furthermore, going forward, we want to be able to communicate directly with FIA and not only through our allies, as happened this time,” added Jimmy Gandhi, co-organizer of SALGA’s India Day activities. “We expect prompt, direct responses to our inquiries in the future.”

“But for now, this is a moment of achievement for us, and the culmination of years of struggle,” said Priyanka Mitra, SALGA’s Political Outreach Co-Chair. “We look forward to celebrating India’s Independence Day with our community and will continue to push for inclusiveness and equality for all.”

About SALGA

The South Asian Lesbian & Gay Association of New York City (SALGA) serves to promote awareness, tolerance, acceptance, empowerment and safe spaces for sexual minorities and people of all gender identities, who trace their heritage to South Asia or who identify as South Asian. Our mission is to enable community members to establish cultural visibility and take a stand against oppression and discrimination in all its forms.  We pledge to encourage leadership development, provide multi-generational support, work towards immigration advocacy, address health issues such as HIV / AIDS, and foster political involvement in the interest of creating a more tolerant society.

For more, please visit www.salganyc.org.

BREAKING NEWS: SALGA to protest exclusion from NY India Day Parade

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 13, 2010

SALGA Announces Planned Action Due to Likely Exclusion from India Day Parade

New York — SALGA, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving New York’s queer desi (South Asian) community, today announces that the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA), organizers of New York City’s annual India Day Parade (August 15), have not officially responded to SALGA’s application to march in the parade, which is likely an indication that they have once again denied its application. SALGA encourages all to join us in protest of the event.

At a time when queer people have much to celebrate in the long struggle for full equality, FIA’s decision to not respond to SALGA’s application and presumably not allow the organization to participate in the 2010 India Day Parade places it firmly outside the mainstream.

“Whether it be last year’s reading down of Section 377 in India (which criminalized same-sex behavior) or the overturning of Proposition 8 in California last week, LGBT people have a lot to be proud of,” said Priyanka Mitra, SALGA’s Political Outreach Co-Chair. “But FIA’s actions make it crystal clear that the struggle for equality continues.”

Furthermore, FIA’s lack of cooperation stands in stark contrast to the actions of similar organizations, such as Northern California’s Federation of Indian Associations, which has always welcomed Trikone (the queer South Asian organization in the San Francisco Bay Area) to participate in Fremont’s India Day activities, according to Trikone’s former Co-Chair, Rakesh Modi: “Trikone has been a participant at the Fremont India Day Festival for a long time now and will be attending the festival this weekend. Over the years, we have never faced any obstacles or hiccups. We have a cordial, collaborative relationship.”

“At the beginning of this process, we were hopeful we could develop a relationship with New York’s FIA that mirrored Trikone’s relationship with the Northern California FIA,” stated Shawn Jain, co-organizer of SALGA’s India Day activities. “However, New York’s FIA did not answer our calls and offers to meet and instead seems to have chosen the path of exclusion. In doing so, it is perpetuating discrimination against queer people, which is a holdover from British colonization. Ironically, this is being done on August 15, 2010 – 57 years to the day after India gained independence from British rule.”

Moreover, as fellow co-organizer of SALGA’s India Day activities Jimmy Gandhi explained, “what FIA is doing is in violation of the anti-discrimination policy of New York City’s Community Board 5, which has the authority to grant parade permits for this route.” Gandhi noted that in 2005, Community Board 5 “reprimanded FIA for past discrimination and warned the FIA that they cannot discriminate ‘on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. ’”

Even with Community Board 5’s support, SALGA anticipated that it might not be allowed to march (the organization was not allowed to march last year). So earlier this week, SALGA held a community meeting to discuss the parade and what the organization should do if it were excluded. At the meeting, the community decided that participating in the parade is important because it provides a platform to interact with straight South Asians, to confront homophobia in our community, and to prevent FIA from perpetuating a vision of India that does not include queers and progressives.

The community therefore decided that its exclusion from the parade would be met with protest. Mitra added that she is “proud to say that the decision to protest comes as the result of a community-oriented process.”

Therefore, although SALGA’s offer to meet with privately with FIA and discuss how we can work together is still on the table, at this juncture, we have no choice but to protest the parade. Gandhi added that he hopes that “queer people and our allies join us at the event and stand in solidarity with us.”

“We especially hope that any elected officials planning to march in the parade join us in protest instead,” Jain said. “If Sens. Gillibrand or Schumer, Attorney General Cuomo, Reshma Saujani, or anyone else who has expressed support for key LGBT issues were planning on marching or speaking at the event, we hope that FIA’s actions change their minds and that they join us in protest.”

Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) is an elected official who plans to stand in protest with SALGA: “This situation is unacceptable. As Chair of the Immigration Committee, I have an obligation to fight for human and civil rights. That’s why I stand in solidarity with SALGA in their struggle to achieve civil rights along with all New Yorkers.

“I plan to stand in protest with SALGA as we continue to fight this battle for civil rights. We’ve only just begun and will continue to move forward.”

Seema Agnani, Executive Director of Chhaya CDC, a South Asian housing and community development organization in Queens, is a community leader standing with SALGA: “SALGA members are valued members of the South Asian diaspora, and Chhaya is committed to their inclusion in the India Day Parade. We believe our community is strongest when everyone is included. As immigrants to this country, we aspire to live in a society where people are not discriminated against - whether it be for race, gender, religion, caste, class, or sexual orientation.”

About SALGA
The South Asian Lesbian & Gay Association of New York City (SALGA) serves to promote awareness, tolerance, acceptance, empowerment and safe spaces for sexual minorities and people of all gender identities, who trace their heritage to South Asia or who identify as South Asian. Our mission is to enable community members to establish cultural visibility and take a stand against oppression and discrimination in all its forms. We pledge to encourage leadership development, provide multi-generational support, work towards immigration advocacy, address health issues such as HIV / AIDS, and foster political involvement in the interest of creating a more tolerant society.

For more, please visit www.salganyc.org.