'Safe place to celebrate': LGBTIQ+ community gathers for Diwali

Members of the LGBTIQ+ community have come together to celebrate Diwali with some saying they feel especially 'abandoned' by their communities during cultural festivities.

Mishma Kumar Johnson (L) and Aarull Selvam Subramaniam at the Diwali celebration organised by the Iceberg Foundation in Fitzroy, Melbourne on Saturday, 6 November 2024.

A Diwali celebration was organised by the Iceberg Foundation in Fitzroy, Melbourne, on Saturday, 2 November 2024. Credit: SBS Nepali/Sapana Phuyal

Diwali is a festival of lights and joy which is embraced by the wider society along with South Asian communities.

But some LQBTIQ+ community members say they still don't feel 'safe to be their true selves' among their communities during such times.

In response, the Iceberg Foundation organised a Diwali program for the LGBTIQ+ community to celebrate the festival in a peaceful and non-discriminatory way.

The Iceberg Foundation is a queer-owned and operated organisation that provides safe spaces and advocates for the elimination of gender and sexuality based discrimination.

"We need safe spaces for queer people (from) all backgrounds to be able to celebrate the traditions and cultures that are important to us and that make up our identity," the foundation's chair, Mishma Kumar Johnson told SBS Nepali.

LGBTIQ+ community members at the Diwali event in Fitzroy, Melbourne. Credit: SBS Nepali/Sapana Phuyal

The program, conducted on Saturday, 2 November, also aimed to raise awareness for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) people of the importance of undergoing regular breast, bowel, and cervical cancer screenings.

The mortality rate of the BIPOC community is far higher than it should be, so it is important to support each other through cancer screening.
Mishma Kumar Johnson, Chair, The Iceberg Foundation

Participants at the LGBTIQ+ Diwali Program in Fitzroy, Melbourne organised by The Iceberg Foundation. Credit: SBS Nepali/Sapana Phuyal

Manisha Abraham is a therapist at the foundation and part of the queer and BIPOC community.

Abraham said even being in a western society, she/they had often felt 'abandoned' by her/their community during cultural celebrations.

"I often used to go to church, but experienced homophobia (which made it) hard to connect with the principles of the religion," Abraham said.

Manisha Abraham says the LGBTIQ+ community needs a safe space to express themselves. Credit: SBS Nepali/Sapana Phuyal

She/they said this negative experience led to her/them dropping religion and coming into queerness. Abraham said she/they now felt able to celebrate the culture and uphold identity as well.

There were several performances of dance and magic at the event. One of the performers, Aarull Selvam Subramaniam, was a queer member from Malaysia.

He has been a performing artist for the past nine years and said he felt "at home" when performing at LGBTIQ+ community events.

Aarull Selvam Subramaniam performing at the Diwali event in Fitzroy, Melbourne on Saturday, 2 November 2024. Credit: SBS Nepali/Sapana Phuyal

While many multicultural communities embrace Diwali, queer community members from South Asian backgrounds say they still struggle for acceptance within their own communities.

So for many of them, it is a choice between staying within the community and culture or being authentic in their identity.

Maya Agarwal is the chair of Transgender Victoria. Credit: SBS Nepali/Sapana Phuyal

Maya Agarwal, chair of Transgender Victoria, is a transgender woman originally from India.

“Especially for the queer community, we are not accepted as easily within the broader South Asian community so events like this are important for celebrating the festival while not giving up our heritage," Agrawal said.