S’s Oral History

Description

S is a nonbinary, South Asian person whose age is included within the range 20 - 22 at the time of recording. They discuss growing up in an immigrant household, racism in Ohio, class, race and gender, as well as forming community as a class-disadvantaged Lesbian of color in New York City. Their earliest interactions with Lesbian spaces were at their best friend’s house on couches, in tree houses. ‘S’ candidly discusses what being a non-binary Lesbian means to them and how it does and does not affect their gender expression. They covered extractive, semi-sexual encounters with white Queer people in highschool who viewed them as just an experiment, or stepping stone sexually but never datable which ‘S’ ascribes to their racial identity as South-Asian being exoticizied and sexualized but never romanticized. To them, their Lesbian spaces are deeply intimate on couches with friends. ‘S’ covers how their personal community of Lesbians are mostly all POC and/or gender nonconforming. Community to ‘S’ is a space where they can be comfortable with others, feel seen and facilitate representation for other POC. Community to ‘S’ is about existing with comfort with other Lesbians of color.