Iftikhar Nasim was a trailblazing poet whose work reshaped the landscape of Urdu literature by bringing queer experiences and desires into public view. Born in Pakistan and later based in Chicago, Nasim combined poetry with activism, becoming a leading voice for LGBTQ+ South Asians through both his writing and community work. Best known for Narman, one of the first Urdu poetry collections to openly address homosexual desire, he challenged literary and social conventions while creating a new vocabulary for queer expression.
A poet, activist, broadcaster and community organiser, Nasim spent much of his life writing himself into spaces that had long denied his existence. In doing so, he became one of the first openly queer voices in Urdu literature and a pioneering figure for LGBTQIA+ South Asians around the world.
Born in Lyallpur (now Faisalabad), Pakistan, in September, 1946, Nasim grew up in a society where homosexuality was rarely discussed publicly and almost never represented in literature. As a young man, he eventually emigrated to the United States, settling in Chicago, where he would spend the rest of his life building a home for himself and others who existed at the margins.
His greatest literary breakthrough came with 'Narman', a collection widely regarded as the first book of Urdu poetry to openly articulate homosexual desire. The title, derived from a Persian word meaning “half-man, half-woman”, was itself a challenge to rigid ideas of gender and sexuality. Published amid considerable controversy, the book was met with hostility in some circles and reportedly had to be distributed discreetly in Pakistan. Yet its impact was undeniable. For many readers, Narman was the first time queer longing had been expressed so directly in Urdu, opening the door for a new generation of writers to speak more honestly about identity and desire.
Nasim never separated his poetry from his activism. In 1986, he co-founded Sangat/Chicago, one of the earliest support organisations for LGBTQIA+ South Asians in the United States. Through community work, public speaking and advocacy, he challenged stereotypes both within South Asian communities and the broader queer movement. His contributions earned him the Rabindranath Tagore Award and induction into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame in 1996.
Beyond Narman, Nasim published 'Myrmecophile' (2000) and 'Abdoz' (2005), continuing to explore exile, faith, loneliness, and queer existence with remarkable candour. His poetry moved between Urdu, Punjabi and English, refusing to choose one specific identities just as he refused to hide any part of himself.
When Iftikhar Nasim died in Chicago on July 22, 2011, at the age of 64, he left behind a vocabulary for queer Urdu expression and a legacy of courage that continues to resonate across generations. Today, his influence can still be felt wherever South Asian writers insist on telling their truths, even when language itself has to be remade to accommodate them.
You can watch Iftikhar Nasim's poetry readings on YouTube.
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