The hidden history of British South Asian lesbians in Bradford

Lack of documentation is not just a problem in Bradford but across the UK. While researching in London, Maya only found two sources documenting British Asian Lesbians. ‘It goes back to the fact that a lot of Asian people here have immigrated and have experienced a lot of issues aside from queerness. Our main source of identity and identity issues has to do with being Asian.

‘That’s why I called [my community group] British Asian Lesbians, it’s a massive part of our identity. The reason I started it was so that we could come together to talk about these really nuanced issues. Talking about being exiled from our families, wanting to bridge the cultures together, so we can feel like we have a sense of family that doesn’t try to change who we are. It’s important to know each other and have family outside of our birth families.’

Participating in relevant discourse online around issues that British South Asian women face can be difficult due to concerns about their privacy and safety. It is not uncommon for South Asian women and other marginalised communities to experience heightened risks when maintaining an online presence.  

‘The reason being that the queer South Asian identity and queer identity within other POC communities, is still a point of contention and dangerous. It’s something we’re still battling. Forced marriages, honour killings and the way women are treated in general within our cultures. Before we even touch the queer stuff, there’s still so much more to deal with. It’s not just me who struggles being online. My cousin, who is straight, won’t want to be posted because of her dad finding it for whatever reason. Maybe she’s wearing something that is not appropriate.’

All hope for documentation on the past is not lost. Enter: Amrit. After attending the event in London, she wanted to bring the community together in her home county of Yorkshire and she stopped at nothing to make it happen. Her sister recently found a flyer and some film pictures taken at the event (at this time have been unable to gain permissions to use in the article). 

‘My sister found a credit card sized flyer from a queer club night I ran for women in the early 00’s in Leeds, except back then I called it for “gay women and their guests”. In the days before social media, we used to flyer on the streets. Proper throwback memory.’  

Amrit is a Punjabi Sikh Lesbian woman, born and bred here in Bradford. We met at Butch Revival last May, which she attended after finding British Asian Lesbains online. In the early 2000s, she helped to bring a queer club night based in London up to Leeds in the hopes of getting the West Yorkshire lesbian community together. ‘French Kiss’ was founded by Doris Carabetta. She started the club night after becoming the manager of the infamous London nightclub, TRADE. French Kiss was a hit, and lesbians flocked to the club night from all over the UK.

‘400 women packed the club that night and I remember flyering women’s discos and women travelling from all over in their best outfits. The DJs came from London from a Trade at Turnmills spin-off for women, run by the charismatic Carabetta. It would get wild at the London nights, women would jump on podiums get their kit off and we would carry on at Trade for an after-hours it was beautiful.’  

‘The techno didn’t translate as well to the northern crowd, preferences back in those days being funky vocal house, but it was still epic having that many women under one roof vibing. What a blast from the past getting this flyer was today, with all my mates faces on this flyer including my own, all pics were taken on a disposable camera.

Lesbian history regardless of race, class and location has faced erasure across time. Paired with the other societal pressures put onto British South Asian women, it is unsurprising that there is a lack of resources to document the lives of British South Asian lesbians. However, there are people working to change this and capture their lives and experiences.   

‘I think it’s going to be more documented based on what different smaller groups are doing. People like The Butch Order, Louise [Dalgleish], and other photographers are documenting South Asian lesbians and POC lesbians in general. It’s happening, especially in London. It’s a little bit safer in London at the minute and because there’s so many of them, I feel like they’re allowed to come out. At Butch Revival, we started playing Bollywood music at the beginning [of the night] and I’ve done henna stalls. 

While there is a limited written history of British Asian lesbians in Bradford, that doesn’t mean that documentation isn’t hidden in an unexpected corner of our district. Hopefully in years to come, more of their stories will be discovered and celebrated. If you are searching for community here in Bradford, Castles in the Sky Projects and BBBQ (Bradford Black & Brown Queers) regularly host events for POC LGBTQ+ people. If you have any resources or history relevant to the history of British Asian lesbians in Bradford, get in touch!

If you have faced any of the issues raised in this article, contact Saheli on 0161 945 4187. They offer information, advice and help for victims of domestic abuse for black, Asian and minoritised women in the UK.