Public Sociology


An additional area of personal inquiry pertains to anti-Blackness, anti-queerness, and gender conformity within the Sikh and Sikh-American diaspora and how it manifests itself in political and educational advocacy. As a community scholar, I organize keynotes, workshops, and lectures on these topics; please feel free to reach out if you have questions bringing these conversations to your community.

Some of my public engagement work includes:
  • A BBC radio interview with Nihal discussing queer gender identity in the South Asian community
  • A profile with a British South Asian diaspora magazine Barfi Culture
  • An interview on the podcast The One with Shabd Singh and Smalls discussing race, queerness, gender(s), and Sikhi
  • An interview with the queer art and pop culture magazine Wussy Mag on the politics of nonbinary identity, Sikhi, and my research
  • A roundtable panel with Logo TV discussing the intersections of queerness and Sikhi as part of their Pride 2019 efforts
  • An interview with Apni Sehat, a show on Punjabi Radio USA, discussing the basics of gender and sexuality in gender: Part 1 | Part 2 
    • Note: Please extend grace to both my conversational Punjabi and to my ability to translate my thoughts fully in Punjabi. I have more vocabulary to learn, but may this help us build a stronger language around LGBTQI+ issues in Punjabi within the diaspora. The discussion around intersexual identity was especially limited by language. The Intersex Society of North America provides additional information, as does Planned Parenthood.​
    • NB: Anti-queerness is structural. Unfortunately, Part 2 never aired on Punjabi Radio USA due to concerns around "exposing children" to the "dangerous ideas" of who is in LGBTQIA+ communities.
  • An interview on Chat Chat with Chandani to discuss parenting, Sikhi, and gender and sexuality 
  • An interview on the podcast Blessed Are the Binary Breakers with Avery discussing Sikhi, queerness, colonialism in higher education, and interfaith dialogue when based in western traditions (episode 17). A transcript is available courtesy of Avery.
  • A coauthored op-ed concerning national legislation that would create a study commission, which would disproportionately impact workers who are queer, trans, and/or experiencing poverty and housing insecurity.
If you are a Punjabi and/or Sikh community member who is looking for language resources related to migrant rights, explore the Sikh Family Center's multi-lingual resource depository – especially the "Know Your Rights" and "Red Cards"/Red Card Instructions.