Welcome!
ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਕਾ ਖਾਲਸਾ! ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਕੀ ਫ਼ਤਹਿ!
ਸਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ
ਜੀ ਆਇਆਂ ਨੂੰ!
In Sikh traditions, a “sakhi” (ਸਾਖੀ) is a story. It can tell us about our histories, how events unfolded, and how people once lived.
Usually, when Sikhs talk about sakhis, they mean stories about the Sikh Gurus and lessons we can learn from their collective lives. But sakhis are also about more than re-telling events. Sakhis gives those listening and reading an opportunity to join a conversation that may seem far away or too difficult to understand. Sakhis are doorways to learn.
Through this Project, we draw on Sikh traditions to share sakhis of LGBTQIA+ Sikhs.
We want to bring together the different life histories of LGBTQIA+ Sikhs to produce a social history of LGBTQIA+ Sikhs’ lives in the United States. We want to create a space for LGBTQIA+ Sikhs to reflect upon and narrate their lived experiences in their own words.
Through this Project, we hope to understand the many ways LGBTQIA+ Sikhs make sense of themselves and how this may have changed throughout their lives. In oral history interviews with LGBTQIA+ Sikhs, each individual decides the direction of the conversation and what matters to them in their life histories. In interviews, LGBTQIA+ Sikhs narrate their sakhis.
We are currently paused and not doing new interviews. In the meantime, you can listen and read about our lives or read some existing resources on supporting LGBTQIA+ Sikhs. We have also published our first report – Becoming Boundless – in December 2024 based on our first round of interviewing 16 LGBTQIA+ Sikhs. Beyond the report, we invite you to explore the website as a resource and learn about:
For many Sikhs, kirtan has been a way to connect with their Sikhi and the Guru. The team compiled a playlist of kirtan that is open to all.
Kaur Life also created a “Kaur Kirtan” page that includes kirtan done by Kaurs around the globe.
