Oral History Interview with Sunny

DESCRIPTION
Content note: description of violence, murder, homophobia

In this oral history, Imran Sunny shares his experiences as a gay rights activist in Bangladesh and his subsequent departure from the country in 2017. Sunny volunteered for some of the earliest and most prominent LGBTQ+ organizations in Bangladesh. Sunny narrates a history of trauma and loss he endured in his homeland. He talks about finding queer kinships in the city, falling in love with Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy, and organizing several queer community events such as movie screening and fashion show. Sunny also narrates memories of surviving in the face of workplace harassment, death threats, police brutality, direct surveillance, and lack of state protection. Sunny details moving and culturally adapting to Germany and life events there before he travels with his partner to the U.S. during the global pandemic in 2020. Sunny's oral history adds nuances to dominant understanding of Bangladeshi queer migration to the U.S.

THEMES
Gender & Sexuality

AUDIO
Duration: 03:24:46

ADDITIONAL METADATA
Date: November 20, 2020 to December 4, 2020
Subject(s): Imran Sunny
Type: Oral History
Source: Archival Creators Fellowship Program
Creator: Efadul Huq
Location: Dallas, Texas

PROVENANCE
Collection: Efadul Huq Fellowship Project
Item History: 2021-07-09 (created); 2024-05-26 (modified)

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