The fonds consists of correspondence, financial records, meeting minutes, membership lists, grand applications, notes, drafts of Khush Khayal, press coverage, newspaper clippings and articles, photographs, slides, posters, and banners.
62 cm of textual records
6 posters [1 missing]
20 photographs : b&w & col.
234 photographs : col. negatives ; 35mm
5 slides
1 t-shirt
3 banners
Extent
0.62 m
Physical Condition
Fair/Good. Some of the textual records are torn or crumpled.
History / Biographical
Khush: South Asian Gay Men of Toronto was founded in 1987. The group was first named South Asian Gay Association (SAGA) and was changed to Khush as they extended their membership to include both men and women. In 1989, Khush founded ‘Khush Khayal’, the first South Asian gay newsletter in Canada that was distributed nationally and internationally. They also produced a monthly community calendar of events called ‘Chhota Khayal’ that ran until 1993 and ‘Avec Pyar’, a quarterly zine, in 1996. Khush was a founding member of the South Asian Inter-agency Network which is now the Coalition of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA), an advocacy group aimed at improving social services for South Asians in Toronto. Khush also founded the South Asian AIDS Coalition (Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention) which was the first initiative in Canada to address HIV/AIDS issues in South Asian communities. In 1993, Khush founded ‘Ahimsa’ – South Asian Men Against Violence (against women and children) in collaboration with the Coalition of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA). The organization ran a variety of queer South Asian community events such as ‘Salaam! Toronto’, a programme that celebrated diasporic South Asian gay and lesbian cultures and identities in 1989, ‘Desh Pardesh’, an annual festival that highlighted the art, culture, and politics of diasporic South Asians in the West which first began in 1990, and ‘Discovery ‘93’, the first International South Asian Gay Men’s Conference. In 1997, Khush changed its subtitle to ‘Queer South Asians’ to be more inclusive of all sexualities and reflect its diverse membership. (See Appendix A in Finding Aid for history of Khush)
Scope and Content
The fonds consists of correspondence, financial records, meeting minutes, membership lists, grand applications, notes, drafts of Khush Khayal, press coverage, newspaper clippings and articles, photographs, slides, posters, and banners.
Storage Location
/01-02 : C.02.02.03
/03-04 : C.02.02.04
/05 : C.01.02.02
Photos : S.02.01
Access Restrictions
Membership and subscription lists were closed until 13 June 2016.
In files F0015-01-11 to F0015-01-15 and F0015-02-15, financial/banking information is restricted in publication.
Arrangement
Fonds has been arranged into five series:
1-Khush administrative files
2-Organizations and events files
3-Khush Khayal files
4-Photographs
5-Objects
Description Level
Fonds
Accession Number
1996-046 (unable to locate, missing), 2007-081, 1989-030, 2006-077
This series contains the meeting minutes, meeting notes, and agendas of the Administrative Committee, correspondence, financial records, grant applications, greeting cards, handouts, and other material documenting broader activities of Khush such as fundraising and retreats. Also included are the K…
20 cm of textual records
3 photographs: col. ; 9 x 12.5 cm
Scope and Content
This series contains the meeting minutes, meeting notes, and agendas of the Administrative Committee, correspondence, financial records, grant applications, greeting cards, handouts, and other material documenting broader activities of Khush such as fundraising and retreats. Also included are the Khush 1988 questionnaires and summary of results, personal records of Khush member Zamil Janmohamed in relation to Khush, and press coverage.
This series contains the correspondence, notes, flyers, posters, newspaper clippings and other material documenting organizations and social events, especially the Desh Pardesh festival (including Discovery ’93). Also included are files on South Asian and Asian organizations in the Toronto area wh…
22.5 cm of textual records
6 posters : 3 b&w., 2 col.,
Scope and Content
This series contains the correspondence, notes, flyers, posters, newspaper clippings and other material documenting organizations and social events, especially the Desh Pardesh festival (including Discovery ’93). Also included are files on South Asian and Asian organizations in the Toronto area which members of Khush were actively involved and other South Asian and Asian organizations in Canada, the United States, and other countries with which Khush was in contact with.
Arrangement
The organization and events files are divided into the following sub-series:
1.1 - Toronto area South Asian and Asian events and organizations
1.2 - Community organizations outside Toronto and Canada
This series comprises the records of Khush Khayal, Khush’s newsletter that appeared periodically between 1989 and 1997. The files contain correspondence, notes, financial records, lists of subscribers, and drafts of most issues, along with copies of some issues of this newsletter.
19.5 cm of textual records
7 photographs: col. ; 10 x 15 cm
1 photograph: col. ; 6.5 x 9 cm
1 photograph: col. ; 12.5 x 17 cm
1 photograph: col. ; 8.6 x 12.8 cm
1 photograph: col. ; 10 x 15 cm
Scope and Content
This series comprises the records of Khush Khayal, Khush’s newsletter that appeared periodically between 1989 and 1997. The files contain correspondence, notes, financial records, lists of subscribers, and drafts of most issues, along with copies of some issues of this newsletter.
This series consists of six photographs, twenty sheets of negatives, one envelope, two postcards, and five colour slides. Photos include two group shots from ATISH Network (Vancouver) (01); black and white head shot of Shyam Selvadurai (02); landscape inscribed "with good wishes to K. K. from Darje…
3 photographs : col. ; 15.1 x 10.2 cm + 1 envelope : 23.0 x 10.0 cm
1 photograph : b&w ; 23.2 x 17.5 cm
1 photograph : col. ; 14.9 x 8.9 cm
1 photograph : col. ; 8.4 x 12.5
234 photographs : col. negatives ; 35mm
2 postcards : b&w ; 14.8 x 10.5 cm
5 slides : col. ; 5 x 5 cm
Scope and Content
This series consists of six photographs, twenty sheets of negatives, one envelope, two postcards, and five colour slides. Photos include two group shots from ATISH Network (Vancouver) (01); black and white head shot of Shyam Selvadurai (02); landscape inscribed "with good wishes to K. K. from Darjeeling / Ama [?] Jayal" (03); one uninscribed photo of a seated man dated 89/9/9 (05); and one uninscribed photo of a woman standing with umbrella (07). Negatives include photos from private events, and two sheets probably taken at Pride Parade featuring banners with "The Best is Yet to Come," "Our Pride, Our Honour: Two Spirit Peoples of the First Nations," "Liberals for Equality Rights," "AIDS Action Now," "We are Family: Get Used to It," "KHUSH: Gay South Asians," and "Gay Asians Toronto" (04; 06). The postcards are identical, each with a black and white photo of a man and woman with the words "Memory Pictures" on the front (08). On the back are details of a documentary by Pratibha Parmar that features the work of Asian gay photographer Sunil Gupta. The five colour slides feature children posed in a yard, and one child indoors (09).
This series contains a t-shirt from the Salaam Toronto festival in May 1989 and three cotton banners used by Khush for public events especially Pride Day.
1 t-shirt
1 cloth banner : cotton, 180 cm x 138cm
1 cloth banner : cotton, 248 x 120cm
1 cloth banner : cotton, 212 cm x 158cm
Scope and Content
This series contains a t-shirt from the Salaam Toronto festival in May 1989 and three cotton banners used by Khush for public events especially Pride Day.
