The Archive began as a dream while prabhdeep was searching for community. Their hope was to bring together different people's stories and show that not only did we exist (there are so many of us!), but that our lives are deeply rooted within our existing homelands, communities, sangats, and Sikhi. The Archive started becoming a reality when prabhdeep realized that if Sikhs from LGBTQIA+ backgrounds did not collectively narrate our own lives, then we would be written out of all stories and written about on other people's terms. 

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After working with dipenpreet kaur for a year (who took the initiative to reach out to prabhdeep and relight the passion for this project) from 2021 to 2022, the Archive took shape with the support of the Jakara Movement in 2022 when prabhdeep was able to hire and train research assistants. Through this Archive, the team hopes to understand the many ways LGBTQIA+ Sikhs understand themselves and how this may have changed throughout their lives. In these interviews of LGBTQIA+ Sikhs' life stories, each individual decides the direction of the interview and what matters to them in their life histories.

As a team, we want to bring together the different life histories of LGBTQIA+ Sikhs to produce a social history of LGBTQIA+ Sikhs' lives in the United States. Through these oral history interviews, we want to create a space for LGBTQIA+ Sikhs to reflect upon and narrate their lived experiences in their own words.

 

Interested in adding your story to the Archive? Review the recruitment page for more information about eligibility and listen and read the interviews of some completed interviews!