Weaving a tale of hope for LGBTQI+

Author and activist Nemat Sadat has many identities and roots, but it is only in India that he feels at home. After coming out as a homosexual man in 2013 and publishing his debut novel – The Carpet Weaver – last year, Sadat weaves a tale of hope. “As a gay, Afghan, American, ex-muslim, non-native immigrant who doesn’t look like a typical white person, I will continue to be an outsider in the US. In Afghanistan, I’m persona non grata and persecuted not only for my free speech. My identities are considered against Islam. India is the only country where I feel safe and accepted for who I am,” says the author, who shifted to the US from Afghanistan in the 80s and now lives there. He had returned to Kabul in 2012 as a professor of political science and mobilised an underground movement for LGBTQIA+ rights.

Sadat believes expressing himself helped overcome a lifetime of repression. He says, “It helped me confront the demons and purge all the social conditioning I received. LGBTQIA+ people are at a higher risk of suicide and depression. It was liberating to come out and share my grief and campaign for LGBTQIA+ rights.”

He also feels it is important to speak up before giving up. “I am alive today because I didn’t resort to addiction or suffer in silence. It takes courage to share your grief. But it’s the surest way to heal,” he says, adding that members of the LGBTQIA+ community who’re receiving threats should report the same to authorities.

Nemat Sadat