Atif Toor Collection on SALGA NYC

The Atif Toor Collection on SALGA NYC (formerly South Asian Lesbian and Gay Association) consists of materials accumulated by member and organizer Atif Toor (1971–). The collection documents the history and organizational activities of SALGA NYC, 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 South Asia 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, advocate for immigrants, 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 SLAAAP! (Sexually Liberated Arts Activist Asian People!) postcards and photographs. The materials document SALGA NYC’s early history, highlight the group’s struggle to participate in the India Day and Pakistan Day parades, include Asian American safe sex ads, and depict SALGA NYC events such as 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.

Image credit: SALGA banner, circa 1991-2001; Guide to the Atif Toor Collection on SALGA-NYC; MSS 492; box 1; folder 4; Fales Library and Special Collections, New York University.