UCLA

This thesis addresses the complicated and often varied experiences of transgender and nonbinary South Asian Americans and South Asian Canadians in Queer South Asian nightlife spaces. By investigating Queer South Asian nightlife events in Toronto and Los Angeles, I articulate how trans and nonbinary South Asian subjects are simultaneously marginalized and celebrated in spaces that are designed to cater to diverse gender identities and sexual orientations. These vexed experiences illustrate the intimacies between Queer space and the lived experiences of nightlife participants. By analyzing trans community formations and cultural productions, this thesis examines how trans subjects form alternative methods to navigate the dualities and contradictions in Queer South Asian nightlife spaces.