“Beta… being happy for you means being Khush” : Khush and Queer South Asian Representation in 1980s-90s Toronto

This thesis will examine the impact and presence of Khush: South Asian Gay Men of Toronto, an organization that represented queer South Asian individuals in Toronto from 1987 until their dissolution in the late 1990s. This thesis argues that Khush played a significant role in educating, connecting, and normalizing queerness in the South Asian community to create a place for queer South Asians in local queer and South Asian Canadian networks. The first chapter argues that Khush organizers instilled community consultation and support in their approach and creation of Khush to bridge queer networks with the South Asian diaspora. This chapter will also outline the creation and evolution of Khush as an organizational body. The second chapter argues that Khush organizers’ efforts to cultivate their membership and establish their racial and gendered representation were successful to a degree, but within limitations. The third chapter argues that Khush attempted to create and facilitate community spaces that actively engaged their members with issues that were urgent for the QSAC community. The third chapter will also include case studies from Khush Khayal, their newsletter, involving personal creative expressions (poems, personal essays, etc.) and how the straight South Asian community was educated and informed about queerness alongside the queer South Asian community. The conclusion connects these chapters to reiterate how Khush educated, connected, and normalized queerness for the South Asian community in Toronto and prompt avenues for future research.