A student speaking out against homophobia in the Indian community says she wants to be a voice for people struggling to come out.

Public relations student Kirandeep Reyatt, who is studying at the Harrow campus of the University of Westminster, is trying to raise awareness about coming out as gay in Asian cultures.

The 20-year-old is speaking out against homophobic attitudes and hopes to be able to offer advice and support to anyone who is thinking of coming out to their family.

She said: “Although I’m not gay myself I know someone very close who is and it’s hard to know he can’t live a normal life because he is gay and Indian.

“It makes me angry because my religion, Sikhism, is all about accepting people for who you are and anyone is welcome to the Sikh community, but a lot of people use religion to manipulate others and say that being gay is wrong.”

Kirandeep, known as Kiran, believes the new marriage equality laws will help in the fight against homophobia – even in ethnic minority communities – and adds it is important to know there are people out there who want to help.

Support groups such as The Naz Project offer support and sexual health advice for people in ethnic minorities who are coming out as gay through one-to-one contact with a qualified staff member or by attending one of its support groups.

She added: “I want to be a voice for these people. It’s okay to come out as gay; you will always get support from somewhere if it is not your family. In the Indian community it’s all about the way you and your family are perceived in Indian culture.

“For me, it’s very aggravating to be part of this culture because of the backward thinking views. Sometimes you feel like you can’t be the person you really want to be and that it utterly unfair.

“You can’t spend your life being unhappy because you may not be here tomorrow, so do what you feel is right and what makes you happy.

“Your family are your family, they should support you all the way and shouldn’t even care about what people will think of them.”