<p>Shaneel Lal (they/them) is a prominent activist and political commentator who sits at the intersection of Aotearoa New Zealand’s BIPOC and queer communities. They are a fierce advocate for ending conversion therapy and in February 2022, their efforts resulted in legislation being passed that bans the practice in New Zealand.</p><p>In our conversation, we cover: </p><ul><li>Growing up queer in Fiji and how that informed Shaneel’s advocacy later on</li><li>The impact of colonisation on queer communities in Fiji</li><li>Colonial queerness vs indigenous queerness, and how colonisation stripped away indigenous queer identities</li><li>Their journey to self-acceptance of their queer identity</li><li>Their conversion therapy experience</li><li>Why successfully getting conversation therapy banned in Aotearoa was not their most joyful moment (and what really brings them joy in their activism)</li></ul><p>You can follow Shaneel on <a href='https://www.instagram.com/shaneellall/?hl=en'>Instagram</a>, <a href='https://twitter.com/shaneellall'>Twitter</a>, and their <a href='https://www.nzherald.co.nz/author/shaneel-lal/'>column for The New Zealand Herald</a>.<br/><br/>Remember to  rate and share this show, as well as follow along on <a href='https://www.instagram.com/notyourtokenminoritypodcast/'>Instagram</a>. Reach out to me on <a href='mailto:[email protected]'>[email protected]</a> if you want to share your story - I would love to hear from you!</p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>