British Pakistani lesbians existing within the confines of the closet.

This study explores the complex interaction between ethnicity, gender and [homo]sexuality and how this creates a framework of stigma that compels some British Pakistani lesbians to remain within the closet. The 'closet' here is a metaphor that describes the concealment of one's homosexual identity and the outward 'performance' of heterosexuality. British Pakistani lesbians precariously inhabit a sociocultural environment that constrains the expression of female sexuality. Women who oppose and contravene heteronormative values and ideals unsettle comfortable assumptions of heterosexuality. Being in the closet keeps lesbians isolated and marginalised from their ethnic and cultural communities. Drawing on findings from online interviews with seven British Pakistani lesbians, the study explores what shapes their decision to stay within the closet and how doing so influences their self-perception. Being in the closet is a source of considerable conflict, strain and anxiety, which has an impact on the women's readiness to embrace individual choice, freedom and desire. Findings orientate the reader toward an understanding of the multiple, interlocking systems of social relations within which British Pakistani lesbians are marginalised as the result of their gender, sexuality and ethnic identity.