Finding Freedom in Community with Prishita Maheshwari-Aplin

Prishita (they/them) is a writer, editor, and LGBTQ+ rights campaigner. They use their platform to educate, mobilise, and hopefully help members of their communities feel seen and validated. They also believe deeply in the importance of inclusive education and sit on the Advisory Board for RSE provider Split Banana. Prishita was chosen as a finalist for Publicist of the Year in the 2023 Sexual Freedom Awards. We chatted to them about the difficulties and joys of finding your community while staying true to yourself. 

Tell us a bit about yourself, where did your love for writing first come from?

I’ve always loved to write. Even as a little kid, I’d make up plays (albeit Barbie movie rip-offs, but still!), writing down everything from set design to intricate costume notes. 

My love for writing truly blossomed, however, when my Year 9 English teacher picked out my short story and read it to the class – suddenly, everything seemed possible. I started writing more short stories, freelance editing some teen magazines, and ran a few blogs of my own (including one called Darwin’s Beard, where I summarised scientific research). 

The spark was lit and I was on a roll! I’ve not stopped putting my thoughts and experiences down in writing since.

A lot of the time, I use writing as a method for healing and growth work – both internal and in terms of my place in this world. For me, and I think this is quite common among marginalised communities, there was such a strong desire to express myself and to feel seen and heard. In a world where our experiences are so often suppressed or erased, creativity feels not only beneficial, but almost vital, to navigating this life with a sense of self. 

I find it incredibly fulfilling to be able to weave my words through other people’s consciousness, to fabricate a possibility borne of my imagination into reality – it’s a form of magic.

As a trustee of LGBTQIA+ action group Voices4 London and an adviser at RSHE enterprise Split Banana, you are highly involved in the London activism scene. When and why did you start to get involved in community initiatives?

I first got involved in Summer 2019 at Pride in London when I saw that Voices4, which was set up in New York by Adam Eli, was starting a London chapter. 

I went along and marched with a number of grassroots organisations in a protest march behind the Pride in London parade, and something within me just stirred. It’d taken me a while to come out and to connect with the queer community – it felt very exclusive at university, rife with bi-phobia, and I didn’t meet anyone with shared experiences. But here was a welcoming space that was brimming with diversity, joy, and passion.

I felt so angry at the state of things, at the fact that so many parts of our communities are still under attack, that there’s such inequality even within the LGBTQ+ community. I felt angry at pinkwashing, at disingenuity, and at the long-lasting impacts of capitalism and colonialism. And, for the first time ever, I felt validated in my anger and able to organise with a collective to do something about it.

It’s been a long few years, however, and while I’m still strategically campaigning through my job at one the UK’s leading human rights charities, Voices4 London is on a break. But these things always ebb and flow – we have to look after ourselves first in order to look after one another.

Last year, you marched for '50 Years of Pride' with The Gay Liberation Front, how did it feel to be protesting with original members of the movement all these years later?

As I wrote about this for gal-dem, “I felt euphoric. The invisible string that connects us to our queer ancestors – its length undefinable – tugged at my heart. Purple letters glimmered in the sunshine upon a bright pink banner: ‘Out of the closet, into the streets.’ And I emerged anew, my identity reaffirmed, and my passions reignited. To stand there with some of the same individuals who began this movement – a lit torch that I intend to continue carrying forward, advocating for the rights and safety of all LGBTQ+ people worldwide – was momentous.”

I know it’s a bit gauche to quote yourself, but I couldn’t say it better right now. Marching alongside GLF was a reminder that Pride was – and always will be – a protest first, even if rooted in love. There’s so much work still to be done, and we deserve to dream, to build and to flourish with the same freedoms and safety afforded to cis-heterosexual members of society. 

Marching with the original members of GLF was a reminder that our elders were not handed their rights – they shouted, clawed and fought for every single one – and, together, we can carry on their legacy, until we are all truly free.

How does your work as a contributor for the likes of Gay Times, METAL and Gal-Dem, align with your community activism?

Along with sharing my own experiences, and achieving clarity through writing, I also believe that effective storytelling and archival work through all journalistic modes can play a central role in shaping conversations, shifting public mentality, and driving social movements. A lot of my writing for these publications has had a goal of commenting on current events, educating a wider audience, or amplifying and centring the voices of those most marginalised in mainstream media – using the platforms to which I have access to share other people’s stories. 

Sometimes the media, the public, and policymakers seem to forget that there are real people who are impacted by many of the current ‘debates’ and it’s important to be reminded. It’s also really important to support independent publications, especially during the ongoing cost-of-living crisis!

Do you have any advice for someone struggling to find their community?

When it comes to finding your community and your people, I have one main piece of advice. Try and look inwards at what feels truly good, at what and who grounds you, and in which spaces you feel whole. 

This isn’t easy and I’m saying this as someone who spent many years feeling completely lost and crushing myself into contorted shapes just to fit in wherever I went. But I was so unhappy and confused.

We’re social animals and we need a sense of belonging. But it’s not worth losing yourself to find that. There are people out there for you, but the best way to find them is to know that you will, you deserve to, and to stay in touch with yourself along the way.

What does community mean to you?

To me, community is a feeling, a sense of belonging. It’s when you walk into a space and you feel stillness within, excitement but also peace. It’s the knowledge that I’ll be seen as I truly am, as my whole self, without having to explain or excuse. Community, to me, means mutual growth, mutual aid, and mutual support. It’s solidarity across borders; it’s love without expectation or transaction. It feels like home.

Especially for marginalised individuals who have experienced trauma, community provides a safe space for us to leave survival mode and grow into our most authentic and happiest selves. It’s life-changing and it means everything to me.

What's coming up for you this year?

Well, work-wise, I’m working hard on campaigning to Ban Conversion Therapy in the UK, along with some exciting projects that are in the works (secret, for now!). 

But a gorgeous Pride campaign that I was involved with has just been revealed – a wonderful team at Benefit UK directed by Ryan Lanji and Daniel Mutton have brought a rainbow of LGBTQ+ individuals together to speak with their chosen families, so please do check it out!

Other than that, just lots of live music, swimming in warm bodies of water, good food, and giggly love!

What is your favorite thing about Wolf & Badger?

I love that Wolf & Badger acts as a central marketplace for such a huge range of independent, ethical, and sustainable brands. 

Sustainability, climate consciousness, and ethical work practices are super important to me (as they should be to everyone at this point, to be honest!), and I try incredibly hard to make responsible choices when it comes to fashion – an industry that is hugely wasteful and exploitative. You can’t dream of and create a better future for everyone if there is no future for the planet, right?

I usually try to shop second-hand, but sometimes you just want that special something, or to support an independent designer with their craft! However, it can be hard to know where to look or to be kept informed on which brands are making high-quality clothing in ethical ways. So, I’m really grateful to be able to pop over to Wolf & Badger and have so much gorgeousness to choose from!