Our story

Water Lily was started because no one else was doing it. A South Asian LGBTQI+ space, in London, run by someone who needed it first.

Queen Joiya — MD Abdul Kader, Founder and Chairperson of Water Lily LGBTQI+

MD Abdul Kader

Founder & Chairperson
they / them
The founder

Queen Joiya came back to give back

MD Abdul Kader, known in the community as Queen Joiya, is a trans refugee who came to the UK from Bangladesh. They know first hand what it means to leave everything behind, to rebuild a life in a country that is not yours, and to do it while carrying an identity that many people around you do not accept.

After finding safety and community in London, Queen Joiya saw a gap. The mainstream LGBTQI+ scene did not reflect South Asian experiences. The South Asian community was not a safe place for queer people. The asylum support system was not equipped to understand the particular vulnerabilities of LGBTQI+ refugees.

So they built Water Lily. Not as an organisation looking down at the community, but as a member of it. Every decision Water Lily makes is shaped by people with lived experience of being South Asian, queer, and navigating the UK as someone who did not start with every door open.

"I came to this country with nothing. The community gave me something. Water Lily is how I give it back."
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What drives us

Our mission, in plain words

We are here to make sure South Asian LGBTQI+ people in London have somewhere to go, someone to talk to, and people in their corner.

Safety first

No judgment, no pressure, no agenda. This space belongs to you the moment you walk in.

Lived experience

The people running this organisation have been through it. That is not a credential. It is just the truth.

Solidarity

We stand with all LGBTQI+ people facing persecution, discrimination, or systemic barriers, wherever they are from.

Speaking up

We challenge harmful reporting, fight misrepresentation, and push back against narratives that put our community at risk.

The context

Why South Asian LGBTQI+ specifically

There are LGBTQI+ organisations in London. There are South Asian community groups. But most of them were not built with both of those identities in mind at the same time.

  • Family rejection patterns in South Asian communities differ from other backgrounds and need specific support
  • Many South Asian LGBTQI+ people are also navigating immigration status, language barriers or asylum processes
  • Religious and cultural pressures are specific and deeply personal, not generic
  • Racism within LGBTQI+ spaces is real and documented, and South Asian people experience it
  • A general support group cannot fully address all of the above at once
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All are welcome

Water Lily does not restrict membership based on country of origin, faith, language or immigration status.

Free to join

There are no membership fees. The organisation runs on donations and volunteer time.

Confidential

Your identity, your story and your details are never shared without your explicit permission.