Mili Dutta
Growing up in India, Mili Dutta didn´t know that anyone else could be queer. Then she saw Martina Navratilova on television with her girlfriend, heard the word ″gay″ for the first time, and confirmed its meaning in a dictionary. Sadly, Dutta realized that she´d never have the freedom to live and love truthfully in her home country-so she studied hard in school with the goal of moving to the U.S. In 1994, Dutta made it to South Minneapolis, carrying two suitcases and $500 in her pocket. Since then, Dutta has advocated LGBT rights and economic development in India while working as an IT consultant. She organizes an annual fundraiser that supports women´s financial empowerment in Assam, and founded Out in the Backyard (OIBY), a grassroots movement connecting LGBT and straight people to neighborhood resources and education. ″In everything I do, I stay focused on a healthy LGBT community in South Minneapolis and women´s empowerment in Assam. These are the two most important areas to my life, my passions,″ she tells GO. The best measure of her success and dedication? Dutta returned to northeast India this year, after a 20-year absence, and organized the region´s first gay Pride event. -KL
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