German | Indian Bengali
I identify myself as a mixed-race gay man. I come from two different traditions and bloodlines, and I have been heavily influenced by a third culture, that of England. My father was a Bengali Muslim and my mother is a German Protestant, they met in England in the early 1960s. I was born in London and I have lived all my life in England. I have spent practically my entire life surrounded by people of different ethnicities to me. I have always understood myself to come from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. This was apparent to me even as a small child. I have never felt English, even though I have lived most of my life among English people. There is nothing wrong with being English, it is just not me. I have inherited different traits from my parents and their cultural backgrounds. I speak good German and I am interested in European culture and politics. I was brought up with various South Asian values. On top of this superimpose the influences of England. So, this does make me very mixed in outlook. An issue that interests me is the general lack of collective consciousness among mixed-race people, myself included. Being mixed-race is deeply personal but does not easily lead to the formation of an obvious mixed-race community or communities. My observation is that mixed-race people don’t necessarily associate or identify with other mixed-race people, I include myself in this. If you compare this with say, LGBTQ people, the situation is very different. LGBTQ people have formed communities with collective activities and festivals, such as Pride, and they can congregate in particular towns and places (like Brighton, Hebden Bridge, Vauxhall), and there are LGBTQ publications, radio stations, websites etc. LGBTQ people have a sense of collective consciousness whereas mixed-race people do not generally have this. I would describe my mixedraceness as being integral to me, deeply personal and unique. My mixedraceness makes me who I am. It can make it difficult for other people to read me and identify with me, but it is also a quality of great beauty and power, and it is to be treasured.
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