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1 " She’s inching forward.Is there a heterosexual explanation for why she’s inching forward? "
― Adiba Jaigirdar , The Henna Wars
2 " I've never really thought about having a type. I guess my type is....beautiful girl. Which is a lot of them. Most of them? Pretty much all girls. "
3 " What I want more than anything else in the world is to feel like being myself isn't something that should be hidden and a secret. What I want is for my parents to be outraged that someone betrayed me, not ashamed of my identity. "
4 " This is one of those moments that I want to bottle up and keep with me forever. Not because it's extraordinary, or because it's the kind of thing you would find in a Bollywood movie. But because it's the kind of moment I could never have dreamed of having in a million years. "
5 " What I want more than anything else in the world is to feel like being myself isn’t something that should be hidden and a secret. "
6 " I’m standing for … me. For you. For us, I guess.”It doesn’t seem like much. But sometimes just being yourself—really, truly yourself—can be the most difficult thing to be "
7 " It doesn’t seem like much. But sometimes just being yourself—really, truly yourself—can be the most difficult thing to be. "
8 " Doctor, teacher, engineer, our Nishat could be anything she wants to be," Abbu says, clapping me on the back proudly. It's the most he's said to me in weeks, but there's a plasticity to his smile, a solemness to his voice. Nishat can be anything she wants to be, except herself. "
9 " The thought of telling someone about this feels almost as bad as the fact that it happened. "
10 " Like everything in the world has fallen away to make space for this moment, for the rhythmic breathing of the two of us, side by side. Despite the cold, the rain, and the damp, the warmth of Flávia’s body is a palpitating thing next to me. The heat of her is stronger than any Irish sun. "
11 " I feel my stomach drop even though my little crush on Flávia is supposed I have disappeared. I guess it's not that simple to get over someone. I still have a thing for Taylor Swift, after all - even though I hate all of her white feminism nonsense. "
12 " I promise to love you the most, no matter what. Even when we’re old and disheveled and dying and you’re somehow more annoying than you already are, I’ll still love you. "
13 " Maybe ... sometimes people don't see the things they do as wrong, but they can see the wrong in what other people do - especially if it's done to someone they care about ... When it happens to someone else, it doesn't feel as important as when it happens to someone we love. "
14 " I don’t have a type,” I say, and it’s true; I’ve never really thought about having a type. I guess my type is … beautiful girl. Which is a lot of them. Most of them? Pretty much all girls. "
15 " I am a little nervous," I admit after a moment's hesitation. Ammu didn't say anything as I left the house this morning, but I noticed she had taken out the jainamaz, or prayer rug, and actually said a few prayers last night. I can't quite shake the hypocrisy of that--but I guess we're all hypocrites about one thing or the other. I feel like her silence spoke volumes. It always does. "
16 " White people like to pretend that race is only as deep as the color of our skin—maybe because the color of their skin gets them so many benefits. "
17 " The heat of her is stronger than any Irish sun. "
18 " Priti pops into the hallway almost as soon as classes end. "
19 " Maybe … sometimes people don’t see the things they do as wrong, but they can see the wrong in what other people do—especially if it’s done to someone they care about,” I say. “When it happens to someone else, it doesn’t feel as important as when it happens to someone we love. "
20 " Because of course Muslims can be gay. How can anyone even think otherwise? The two aren’t mutually exclusive. I am living, breathing proof. "
