Shivani Dave is a freelance journalist and broadcaster at Openly and Virgin Radio. Growing up I never thought Brown people could be LGBTQ+. That’s an absolutely ridiculous thought, but when I was younger, it made total sense. I’d never seen anyone from my ethnic background who was also part of the LGBTQ+ community. As we are approaching the end of the annual South Asian Heritage Month, I hope more space is created for LGBTQ+ South Asian people. The UK government shows that South Asian people in England and Wales account for 7.5% of the population – or about one in every 13 people, making us the largest ethnic minority in Britain. We are a vast community, comprising people originating from a Smörgåsbord of cultures, traditions, languages, religions and nationalities. The South Asian community in the UK has members with heritage from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, The Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.