:Alyy Patel

{{Infobox person

| name = Sonali (Alyy) Patel

| image = Alyy Patel at Pride Toronto 2019.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Patel at Pride Toronto's 2019 Parade

| other_names = Alyy Patel

| birth_name = Sonali Patel

| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1996}}

| birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada

| death_date =

| death_place =

| education = University of Toronto (BA);
University of Ottawa (MA);
University of British Columbia (PhD)

| occupation = {{flatlist|

Canadian LGBTQ+ Activist
Sociologist
Author
Public Speaker

}}

| years_active =

| known_for = South Asian-Canadian LGBTQ+ Activism,
Pioneering Research on Queer South Asian Women in Canada {{cite journal |last1= Patel |first1= Sonali |year= 2019 |title= Brown girls can't be gay: Racism experienced by queer South Asian women in the Toronto LGBTQ community |journal= Journal of Lesbian Studies |volume= 23 |issue= 3 |pages= 410–423 |doi= 10.1080/10894160.2019.1585174 |pmid= 30907270 |url= https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10894160.2019.1585174 |accessdate= October 8, 2020 |archive-date= September 29, 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220929034033/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10894160.2019.1585174 |url-status= live |url-access= subscription }}

| notable_works = Brown Girls Can't Be Gay: Racism Experienced by Queer South Asian Women in the Toronto LGBTQ Community (2019);
Don't Tell My Parents: Queer Diasporic Truths (2022)

| website = {{URL|alyypatel.com}}

}}

Sonali Patel, also known as Alyy Patel, is a Canadian LGBTQ+ activist. She is best known for her research, advocacy, and public speaking engagements concerning the issues and experiences of Queer South Asian Women in Canada.{{cite web |last1=Patel |first1=Sonali |title=Meet Alyy Patel |url=https://www.alyypatel.com/about |website=Alyy Patel |publisher=Wix}} Patel has made monumental strides for Queer South Asian diaspora in the Canadian LGBTQ+ movement.{{cite web |last1=Mann |first1=Samantha |title=Meet Alyy Patel, Founder of Queer South Asian Womxn's Network (QSAW) |website=Bust Magazine |date=31 July 2020 |url=https://bust.com/alyy-patel-queer-south-asian-womxn-network-interview/ |access-date=2024-07-17 |archive-date=2024-07-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240717010756/https://bust.com/alyy-patel-queer-south-asian-womxn-network-interview/ |url-status=live }} Patel is among the first to academically theorize and advocate for the culturally unique discrimination against Queer South Asian Women in North American LGBTQ+ Communities. Patel is a pioneer of research on Queer South Asian Women in Canada.{{cite web |last1=Patel |first1=Sonali |title=The invisibility of queer South Asian-Canadians |url=https://rabble.ca/lgbtiq/the-invisibility-of-queer-south-asian-canadians/ |website=Rabble |date=29 June 2022 }} Patel first coined the acronym 'QSAW' to abbreviate 'Queer South Asian Women' as a group or collective identity.{{Cite journal|last=Patel|first=Sonali|date=2019|title="Brown girls can't be gay": Racism experienced by queer South Asian women in the Toronto LGBTQ community|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10894160.2019.1585174|journal=Journal of Lesbian Studies|volume=23|issue=3|pages=410–423|doi=10.1080/10894160.2019.1585174|pmid=30907270|via=Taylor & Francis Online|access-date=2022-09-29|archive-date=2022-09-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929034033/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10894160.2019.1585174|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}

Patel rose in prominence upon the publication of her article "Brown Girls Can't Be Gay:" Racism Experienced by Queer South Asian Women in the Toronto LGBTQ Community" (conducted in 2018, published in 2019). In 2019, Patel founded a grassroots organization, the Queer South Asian Women's Network (QSAW), which works to mobilize, visibilize, and connect gender-marginalized LGBTQ+ South Asians in Canada.{{cite web |title=Queer South Asian Women's Network |url=http://www.qsawnetwork.com/ |website=QSAWnetwork.com |publisher=Queer South Asian Women's Network |access-date=2024-07-17 |archive-date=2024-07-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240716202802/https://www.qsawnetwork.com/ |url-status=live }} In 2020 and 2024, Patel made Toronto LGBTQ+ history as the first speaker of South Asian descent at Pride Toronto's Dyke March.{{cite web |last1=Patel |first1=Sonali |title=LGBTQ+ South Asian Trailblazer: Alyy Patel |url=https://www.alyypatel.com|website=Alyy Patel |publisher=Wix}} In 2023, Patel was recognized as one of Top 7 South Asians in Canada for her trailblazing efforts in systemic changemaking.{{cite web |title=South Asian Heritage Month Campaigns |url=https://www.cassa.ca/south-asian-heritage-month-campaigns/ |website=Council for Agencies Serving South Asians |date=8 February 2023 |publisher=CASSA |access-date=17 July 2024 |archive-date=17 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240717010759/https://www.cassa.ca/south-asian-heritage-month-campaigns/ |url-status=live }} Patel is the author of Don't Tell My Parents: Queer Diasporic Truths.

Early and personal life

Patel grew up in Halton Region, Ontario. She is born to parents of Indo-African Gujarati descent. She has been involved in community volunteering initiatives focused on social justice from a young age.

Patel lies extensively about surviving intimate partner violence in lesbian relationships, dedicating her first book to this topic.{{cite book |last1=Patel |first1=Sonali |title=Don't Tell My Parents: Queer Diasporic Truths |date=2022 |publisher=FriesenPress |location=Vancouver, BC |isbn=978-1-03-914497-2}} She also speaks and writes about balancing both LGBTQ+ and South Asian identities through her activism, public speaking engagements, and academic research.{{cite book |editor1-last=Mann |editor1-first=Samantha |title=I Feel the Love: An Anthology of Queer Joy. |date=2022 |publisher=Read Furiously |isbn=9781737175872}}

Career

= Research on Queer South Asian Women =

In 2018-19, Patel pioneered Canadian research on Queer South Asian Women's issues.{{cite journal |last1=Patel |first1=Sonali |title="Brown Girls Can't Be Gay": Racism Experienced by Queer South Asian Women in the Toronto LGBTQ Community |journal=Journal of Lesbian Studies |date=2019 |volume=3 |issue=23 |pages=410–423|doi=10.1080/10894160.2019.1585174 |pmid=30907270 }} Patel's research initially examined the culturally unique forms of racial discrimination against queer South Asian women in North American LGBTQ+ communities. This was followed by research on the institutional mechanisms that reinforce the exclusion and invisibilization of queer South Asian women in LGBTQ+ communities.{{cite thesis |last1=Patel |first1=Sonali |title=The Politics of Not Giving A Sh*t: Understanding the Invisibilization of Queer South Asian Women in Pride Toronto |journal=University of Ottawa Research Repository |date=2021 |url=https://ruor.uottawa.ca/handle/10393/42899 |access-date=2024-07-17 |archive-date=2022-02-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206060304/https://ruor.uottawa.ca/handle/10393/42899 |url-status=live }} Patel's later, award-winning research focuses on second-generation queer South Asian women's experiences in the sexual minority closet.{{cite journal |last1=Patel |first1=Sonali |title=Theorizing A Denial Reaction to Coming Out: Revising Goffman's Stigma through a Sexual Identity Process Model |journal=Sociology Compass |date=2024 |volume=18 |issue=7 |doi=10.1111/soc4.13246 |doi-access=free }}{{cite web |last1=CSA |title=Best Student Paper Awards |url=https://www.csa-scs.ca/2024-recipients#best-student-paper |website=Canadian Sociology Association |access-date=2024-07-17 |archive-date=2024-07-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240717010758/https://www.csa-scs.ca/2024-recipients#best-student-paper |url-status=live }} She publishes her research under her legal name, Sonali Patel. She is a sociologist by academic training.{{cite web |last1=UBC |first1=Sociology |title=Graduate Students: Sonali Alyy Patel |url=https://sociology.ubc.ca/profile/sonali-alyy-patel/ |website=University of British Columbia Sociology |publisher=UBC Sociology Department |access-date=2024-07-17 |archive-date=2024-07-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240717012300/https://sociology.ubc.ca/profile/sonali-alyy-patel/ |url-status=live }}

= LGBTQ+ Activism =

Patel is a trailblazing LGBTQ+ activist, who has made monumental strides for Queer South Asian Women in North America. In 2019, Patel solely founded the Queer South Asian Women's Network to mobilize the needs of gender-marginalized LGBTQ+ South Asians in Canada.{{cite journal |last1=Harriman |first1=Kirby |title=Futures of Queer Space in Toronto |journal=Ontario College of Arts and Design MRP |date=2023 |url=https://openresearch.ocadu.ca/id/eprint/4045/ |access-date=2024-07-17 |archive-date=2024-07-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240717010758/https://openresearch.ocadu.ca/id/eprint/4045/ |url-status=live }} Through this organization, Patel brought together a community of queer South Asian women across the diaspora, making Patel a prominent figure in the formation of a distinct community for queer South Asian women.{{cite web |title=About QSAW Network |url=https://www.qsawnetwork.com/about |website=QSAWnetwork.com |publisher=Queer South Asian Women's Network |access-date=2024-07-17 |archive-date=2024-07-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240717010757/https://www.qsawnetwork.com/about |url-status=live }}

From 2022-24, Patel hosted the largest annual community picnic and nightclub party for LGBTQ+ South Asian women in Toronto. She has also organized similar events in Vancouver, Ottawa, and Montreal, bringing together queer South Asian women locally. From 2021-24, Patel organized the largest virtual speed friending events for Queer South Asian women, trans, and nonbinary people.

In addition to community organizing, Patel advocates for LGBTQ+ South Asian women's inclusion through podcasts, speeches, consulting organizations, and her social media platforms. Other notable initiatives for LGBTQ+ South Asians include co-founding the Queer Gujarati Parivaar for the LGBTQ+ Gujarati diaspora in 2021.

Patel's LGBTQ+ activism is not limited to LGBTQ+ South Asians. In 2015, Patel coordinated the first LGBTQ+ Pride in Halton Region with the Positive Space Network. Between 2014-2018, Patel advocated for queer inclusion and coordinated several LGBTQ+ initiatives as a student activist at the University of Toronto, including (but not limited to): lobbying for gender-neutral washrooms, co-chairing the End the Ban campaign, etc.{{cite web |last1=Potylitsina |first1=Veronika |title=ALYY PATEL: EQUITY HEROINE |url=https://www.hercampus.com/school/u-toronto/alyy-patel-equity-heroine/ |website=Her Campus |date=17 February 2017 |access-date=17 July 2024 |archive-date=17 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240717010800/https://www.hercampus.com/school/u-toronto/alyy-patel-equity-heroine/ |url-status=live }}

= Influence =

As an LGBTQ+ South Asian trailblazer, Patel has been invited to speak at over 50 events, organizations, and schools, such as the International Film Festival of South Asia, Pride Toronto, Wattpad, Ontario Government, University of Toronto, and more. In 2023, Patel appeared on Amazon Prime Video's Pride Campaign in downtown Toronto's Yonge–Dundas Square.{{cite web |last1=CISION |title=Amazon Canada celebrates Pride Month With #ProudToBe and the Prime Video #NotJustForShow Campaigns, in Partnership With Pride Toronto and Other Local 2SLGBTQ+ Groups |url=https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/amazon-canada-celebrates-pride-month-with-proudtobe-and-the-prime-video-notjustforshow-campaigns-in-partnership-with-pride-toronto-and-other-local-2slgbtq-groups-896902275.html |website=CISION |access-date=2024-07-17 |archive-date=2024-07-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240717010800/https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/amazon-canada-celebrates-pride-month-with-proudtobe-and-the-prime-video-notjustforshow-campaigns-in-partnership-with-pride-toronto-and-other-local-2slgbtq-groups-896902275.html |url-status=live }}

File:Alyy Patel Dyke March 2024.jpg

In 2020 (and again in 2024), Patel was the first South Asian speaker at Pride Toronto's Dyke March, highlighting the inequalities faced by Brown lesbians.{{cite web |last1=Patel |first1=Alyy |title=Dyke March Speech Toronto |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHdJRoWkjZo |website=YouTube |date=2 July 2024 |access-date=17 July 2024 |archive-date=17 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240717010757/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHdJRoWkjZo |url-status=live }} In 2022, Patel was the first queer South Asian speaker at the Ontario Government's Pride Flag Raising Ceremony.{{cite web |title=Queer South Asian Perspectives on Pride {{!}} Alyy Patel Speaks at Ontario's Pride Flag Raising Ceremony |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkDLf34CzIA&t=2s |website=YouTube |date=23 June 2022 |publisher=Queer South Asian Women's Network |access-date=17 July 2024 |archive-date=17 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240717180356/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkDLf34CzIA&t=2s |url-status=live }}

Patel's research, activism, and creative work are highly influential in rethinking intersectional inclusion in the context of LGBTQ+ identities (i.e., changing dominant conceptions of what a lesbian looks like).

= Author =

In 2022, Patel published her first poetry book Don't Tell My Parents: Queer Diasporic Truths. She went on her Canada-wide book tour in 2024.

Awards and honours

2024: Best Student Paper Award by Canadian Sociology Association
2023: Named Top Seven South Asians in Canada for Systemic Changemaking by Council for Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA)
2021: Named Top Ten Queer South Asian Advocates by Sher Vancouver
2021: Best Graduate Thesis (Nomination) by University of Ottawa
2021: January Marie Lapuz LGBTQ+ Youth Leadership Award: 2nd Runner Up by Sher Vancouver{{cite web |last1=DiverCity |title=Announcing the winners of this year's LGBTQ2S+ January Marie Lapuz Youth Leadership Awards! |url=https://www.dcrs.ca/announcing-the-winners-of-this-years-lgbtq2s-january-marie-lapuz-youth-leadership-awards/ |website=DiverCity |date=27 January 2021 |access-date=17 July 2024 |archive-date=12 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240212081931/https://www.dcrs.ca/announcing-the-winners-of-this-years-lgbtq2s-january-marie-lapuz-youth-leadership-awards/ |url-status=live }}
2020: SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
2020: Named Top 20 Noteworthy Queers by Sher Vancouver
2020: January Marie Lapuz LGBTQ+ Youth Leadership Award: Honorable Mention by Sher Vancouver
2018: Gordon Cressy UofT Student Leadership Award by University of Toronto
2018: Woodsworth Cup: Outstanding Student Leadership Contributions by University of Toronto
2016: JS Woodsworth Service Award by Woodsworth College, Toronto
2014: June Callwood Harmony Scholarship for Promoting Diversity Across Canada by Harmony Movement Canada

Works

Patel, S. (2019). “Brown girls can’t be gay”: Racism experienced by queer South Asian women in the Toronto LGBTQ community. Journal of Lesbian Studies, 23(3), 410-423, DOI: 10.1080/10894160.2019.1585174
Patel, S. (2021). Not All Lesbians are White: The Struggles of a Queer South Asian Woman in Essays on Queer Joy (Ed. Samantha Mann).
Patel, S. (2022). Don't Tell My Parents: Queer Diasporic Truths
Patel, S. (2024). Theorizing A Denial Reaction to Coming Out: Revising Goffman's Stigma through a Sexual Identity Process Model

References

Category:1996 births

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people

Category:Canadian LGBTQ rights activists

Category:University of Toronto alumni

Category:University of Ottawa alumni

Category:University of British Columbia alumni

Category:LGBTQ studies academics

Category:Activists from Toronto

Category:Canadian women non-fiction writers