Photo By Jim Buell
Reader of the Week: Naomi Lahiri
She’s not your typical queer, feminist-anarchist, Indian-Brit, Missouri college student
By Jessica Blumensheid
Published: August 4th, 2008 | 11:02am
Born and raised as a first-generation South Asian in Wivenhoe, England, Naomi Lahiri has traveled many places in the course of her 19 years. Moving to Carbondale, Illinois, at age 13, she now lives in Columbia, Missouri, studying social work at the University of Missouri. While she's still a United Kingdom citizen but a permanent United States resident, Lahiri frequently encounters restrictions of practicing her mixed sexual, political, and national identities.
What was it like growing up in Wivenhoe, England, as a South Asian?
In England, I was the odd one out — I looked different, spoke a different language at home, ate different food, and so on. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become quite proud of my South Asian culture. I like the color of my skin, that I can understand a different language, can eat really spicy foods, and my family structure. Also, I love how in India everyone is referred to as family. I think that’s a really nice thing about my culture — at the end of the day, we’re all family.
Tell me of your recent visits to India?
Since I was very young, I’ve seen these poor families and children begging naked on the sides of streets and cripples in train stations and the slums. The last time I went to India I was a bit older and thought about poverty and what can be done to help. Suddenly everything clicked and I realized that I wanted to do something to make this world a better place. I’ve been thinking about the fact that my father’s hometown, Calcutta, is the hometown of brothels. Maybe one day I will be able to go there and help women who don’t want to be in these brothels.
How do you demonstrate your activism with your mixed identity?
By the time I got involved with activism and politics, I felt as if I was juggling identities and sometimes I still feel this way. When I hang around people of my ethnicity, I feel as though I have to compromise my political views — when I hang around my radical friends, I feel as though I have to compromise my cultural and religious views. Even though I see all the layers of my identity as homogenous and interconnected, the society we live in isn’t that accepting.
What are some of your social outlets you feel are comfortable for queer identities?
I’m a Safe Space trainer on my college campus, something I’m very passionate about. We discuss how to make places more comfortable for people of all different sexual orientations and gender presentations. Also, I recently moved into a new collective living space. The Diva House is a cooperative collective living space. Aside from the fact that it’s cooperative, I like that it’s a feminist Safe Space. Since I’m still in college, it can be quite scary living in college dorms or apartment complexes where the culture is dangerous. I’m very relieved to finally be living somewhere where I can feel safe and heard. When I first realized I had such a multi-layered identity, it was a little
overwhelming, especially in the Midwest where it's hard to find people
to relate to. However, I'm coming to a point where I feel that the
different parts of my identity are quite interconnected.
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Issue #24
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