Originally from Mauritius, Preet’s wonderfully positive disposition and upbeat charm stands in stark contrast to the struggles they faced in order to live openly and happily.
Coming from a country which isn’t very accepting of LGBT+ people, Preet explained the difficulties in growing up as a very feminine child who sometimes liked to wear female-identifying clothes. Beatings administered by family members became a regular occurrence.
When from the age of nine, a neighbour began to sexually abuse Preet, the cold realisation arrived that there was no one to turn to for help. With a lack of social networks or support systems to turn to, there was no one to speak to and no available information for a child struggling to understand how to deal with such a horrific situation. By all appearances “the only gay person in the village”, Preet’s was a culture where “the straight people are superior and you’re inferior.”