This collection consists of materials accumulated by member and organizer Atif Toor (b. 1971-), documenting the history and organizational activities of SALGA NYC (formerly South Asian Lesbian and Gay Association), as well as the South Asian immigrant LGBTQ community in New York City more broadly. Founded in 1991, SALGA NYC is a social, political, and support group for queer and trans people who trace their descent from the South Asian region including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma (Myanmar), India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Tibet as well as people of South Asian descent from countries such as Guyana, Trinidad and Kenya. SALGA NYC aims to provide multi-generational support, promote immigration advocacy, address mental health and health issues such as HIV/AIDS, and foster political involvement in creating a more empowered society.
The Atif Toor collection is .50 linear feet and covers the years 1991-2001, and 2011. The collection contains newsletters, event flyers, news clippings, photographs, meeting and administrative files, DVDs, and SLAAP! (Sexually Liberated Arts Activist Asian People!) postcards and photographs. The materials document SALGA NYC’s early history, highlights the group’s struggle to participate in the India Day and Pakistan Day parades, includes Asian American safe sex ads, and depicts SALGA NYC events like the annual “Color Me Queer” dance party and PARDA: Unveiling South Asian Artistic Queer Expression. Also included are international LGBTQ publications such as Bombay Dost, Sacred Love, and Xtra Magazine.
To learn more about the contents of the Atif Toor Collection on SALGA NYC, located at the NYU Fales Library & Special Collections, view the collection’s finding aid.