Sonali (Alyy) Patel is a trailblazing change-maker & self-proclaimed Power Dyke™, who engages in a multitude of activities and initiatives. Alyy is an innovative young leader fuelled by her passion for fostering inclusive spaces and empowering others to live their best life. 

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Alyy is best known for making a revolutionary impact in her community. Following her heart's desire for LGBTQ+ advocacy, Alyy began organizing community events and delivering motivational speeches at schools in the Halton Region in 2015. This eventually transformed into her current global LGBTQ+ activism work, trailblazing research about the discrimination against queer South Asian women, and Diversity & Inclusion Consulting.

 

From an early age, Alyy has been discouraged from pursuing advocacy work. She was consistently told that it is impossible to change the world. Disagreeing with this sentiment, Alyy “rebelled” by chasing her vision to transform the world into a more inclusive space. She brought her visions to life by leaning into her interests in project management, graphic design, and learning new skills. At present, Alyy’s work has achieved the “impossible.” Queer South Asian women are now increasingly visible in LGBTQ+ spaces and discourses. 

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Despite a lack of family acceptance for her sexuality, Alyy openly works to mobilize and visibilize the issues and experiences of queer South Asian women in Western LGBTQ+ communities. Alyy believes it is crucial to address these issues in order to enhance the collective well-being of Queer South Asian diaspora.

 

Alyy’s journey has not been easy. Throughout her lifetime, Alyy has experienced significant adversities and violence that sought to prevent her from pursuing this work. However, Alyy’s genuine love for people and passion for improving communities carried her through her darkest times. Alyy’s journey with poor mental health has inspired her to live by the philosophy of “lead with love.” This philosophy is integrated into the foundation of everything she does.