Know your AIQA- Rhythm Bhatia

By Rhythm Bhatia

Hi! I’m Rhythm, I’m 18 and I think I’m panromantic and greyace. I’ve recently come to terms with my sexuality, and I know I’m coming from a place with a lot of privilege, but I’ve gotten only support and affection from the people closest to me after I came out to them. I’ve had crushes on people of the same gender all my life, but until recently I thought “No broooo, every girl feels this way, they all feel ticklish when they think about certain girls. It’s cool don’t worry.” (turns out not lol) Then one fine day, I looked at someone who did not belong to the opposite gender, and the feeling that I got, that’s not something you feel when you just want to be friends with them or you just like their personality. (which is something a friend of mine said could be happening – no you’re not gay, maybe you just like their personality!)
My coming out experience with my college friends has been more than just amazing. They’ve hyped me over my crushes, they’ve embarrassed me in public by constantly asking me to ask a cute person out. The kind of validation I’ve received has been beyond beautiful. I love these people so much. I have had people give me stereotypical responses but, more than making me sad, it just makes me laugh that some people still say shit like “it’s just a phase”.
Being a part of the community has been so great for me. Everytime I see someone who’s a part of the community or someone who has just come out, I become the human embodiment of the :’) emoji. I have something in common with that person, there is this one similar thing in our lives that makes us feel amazing.
My reasons for joining AIQA were pretty simple. I wanted to be part of something that wasn’t a fixed safe space. AIQA will expand, it’ll give other people from the community what I got without AIQA’s help. And I want to help give that to the community, I want to be able to give someone else the joy and happiness the community gives me. Also, you can never be around too many gays!

Rhythm is also a part of our creative team.