CAMPAIGNS
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We are extremely excited to announce our next campaign, #HealthyActivism, which aims at sharing stories to draw attention to the importance of self and collective care during activism, in order to prevent activist burnout and make movements stronger at a deeper level.
If you want to share your stories, anonymously or otherwise, please DM us. |
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A lot of conflict happens in our lives just because we don’t truly align with who we are. We choose to not be true to ourselves in our thoughts, expressions, and experiences, because of what “others might think or say.” Tell us the one thing you do for yourself, despite all the external and internalised stigma, that makes you feel empowered. Send in your submissions to get featured in our #YouDoYou Campaign.
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This is our weekly series where we feature activists/organisations working in the field of Gender and Sexuality. We promote their work on our social media, have an Instagram Live interview with them, and publish their interview on our website.
In order to get featured, the individual/organisation needs to email us about their work at projectvoiceplus@gmail.com. |
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Activist: Harshit Gupta
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Further to his achievements through Womenite, Harshit is a Queen’s Young Leader, chosen by the honourable Queen Elizabeth II. He’s also a TEDx speaker and has spoken on- Why women’s issues are not just women’s issues. He has also been bestowed with the National Youth Award by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
Harshit Gupta’s remarkable achievements has inspired several people and through this interview we hope to amplify his voice even further.
Harshit Gupta’s remarkable achievements has inspired several people and through this interview we hope to amplify his voice even further.
Why did you leave your secure career path as an engineer to become a social entrepreneur? What inspired this journey?
“I started Womanite in 2015 as a student; and now, I’ve left my corporate job to pursue the initiative full time and take it forward. During my college days, I worked with a few NGOs like Teach for India, which inspired me to start something on my own.
I’m not afraid of leaving my secure path behind, as it’s the sheer passion that i have for bringing about a positive change in the society, that drives me.”
I’m not afraid of leaving my secure path behind, as it’s the sheer passion that i have for bringing about a positive change in the society, that drives me.”
What was your agenda at the outset of Womenite?
“My initial inspiration being the entire initiative was my mother and all other domestic engineers or the so-called home-makers, who do the same work throughout. I wanted to do something for them.
Coming from a technology background, I started a website called womenite.com which was the seed to my current project. I started posting content on health, society and female problems. However, I soon realised that change would only come once i start off on-ground.
Women empowerment is a huge umbrella, under which there are various problems to tackle. I decided to start with Child Sexual Abuse. It was when i saw real impact come in, that I started expanding my initiative by engaging in other topics too."
Coming from a technology background, I started a website called womenite.com which was the seed to my current project. I started posting content on health, society and female problems. However, I soon realised that change would only come once i start off on-ground.
Women empowerment is a huge umbrella, under which there are various problems to tackle. I decided to start with Child Sexual Abuse. It was when i saw real impact come in, that I started expanding my initiative by engaging in other topics too."
Your achievements and impact through Womenite have been par excellence. We would like to know a little about your journey through these years.
“The journey of any social entrepreneur is like a roller coaster ride. There are times when people come and praise you for the kind of work you are doing and there are also times when you don't know what to do next. You’re stuck. I too have faced this through the three years. I experienced times of gratification on one hand, and on the other, I saw myself stuck in positions without having a team to count on. But Womenite has thrived through it all.”
What kind of issues do you face by the audience during your workshops and campaigns? Where do you think the root of these problems lie and how do you tackle it?
“One out of three children in India go through some kind of abuse before they turn 18. When we give workshops on Child Sexual Abuse, several girls come to us and tell us about people who have tried to touch them inappropriately. Sometimes these victimizers are doctors who examine them. These cases come up very often and they are sensitive. It then becomes our responsibility to impact the correct knowledge to them.I hence feel that education is the most powerful tool to bring in a change. We picked schools to begin with, because it’s at this age that children start developing opinions and mindsets. Their brains are like clay which can be easily moulded. So imparting the correct knowledge at this time will definitely lay a better foundation for tomorrow.”
How has Womenite impacted your personal growth?
“Womenite has had a great influence on my personal growth. I had never headed a team before i started off, but now I handle a team of over 100 people. Through Womenite I’ve communicated with a wide range of audience- from corporates to governmental dignitaries and even to the UN Women Headquarters in New York. Today, I owe what I am to Womenite.”
Being a youth-led organisation, is it difficult to finance your project?
“Economic sustainability in case of non-profit org is a huge issue in India. However, I think with time, we are going to develop our modules and working plans to sustain ourselves.”
We know you’re a TedX speaker and have had a great influence on many. Would you like to reiterate your take on Feminism for our audience?
“I feel that right now people believe that feminism only talks about giving rights to women. It is considered as a binary phenomena and does not include a whole spectrum- we are ignoring non-binary genders. But feminism is much more than that.”
Considering that our society has a lot of scope for improvement and change, where is your project headed now? What’s your next agenda in line?
“ As I travel and read, I see a lot of scope for improvement in different aspects of the society. But our next agenda is to expand our initiative to 5000 schools across Delhi. I also want to take this to many more rural localities and slums where concepts like these are completely alien. There is definitely a lot of scope in propagating ideas about gender-equality and a lot needs to be done, one step at a time.”
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Activist: Megha Bhatia
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Why did you leave your secure career path as a lawyer to become a social entrepreneur? What inspired you?
"When I first started conducting workshops on Human rights and Child sexual abuse, I realised that in India, every second child is getting abused. I wanted to do something about this problem. I wanted to make a difference in the society and tackle this social evil. I also decided to focus on Our Voix full time because of the satisfaction I get when I explain something to young children which they have never been exposed to before. Standing in front of them and talking about things like private body parts, good touch and bad touch- things they have no idea about- makes me feel like I’m making a difference."
What was your agenda at the outset of Our Voix?
“My agenda when I started out was primary prevention of child sexual abuse, to make childhood a safe place again. People in India are ignorant of this matter and they need to know about what is happening. Thus we work towards spreading awareness about these issues, hence preventing such things from happening and also to caution the society.
Since people are not comfortable talking about such things- we wanted to start a conversation about it.”
Since people are not comfortable talking about such things- we wanted to start a conversation about it.”
Your achievements and impact through Our Voix have been par excellence. We would like to know a little about your journey through these months?
“Our journey started only 4 months ago and ever since we have reached out to over 4000 people through our workshops. We have catered to a large number of children, adults, disabled citizen and have even been to barren fields with minimum resources. We are trying our best to reach out to as many people as possible.”
What kind of issues do you face by the audience during your workshops and campaigns? Where do you think the root of these problems lie and how do you tackle it?
“The primary challenge that we face is that people have no idea what we are talking about. For example, in a recent workshop I asked the kids what they’ll do if someone touched them inappropriately. Their immediate response was that they’ll hide and lock the room. It is important for these children to understand that calling for help is the only solution to this and hiding away will only cause more agony. Children need to be taught to raise their voices.
There are several people who refuse to believe that even male children can be abused. And this scenario exists in all sorts of families- not just in rural areas. Even if people are aware of what is happening, they keep quiet because for them talking about it is shameful- they think it is a bad thing.”
There are several people who refuse to believe that even male children can be abused. And this scenario exists in all sorts of families- not just in rural areas. Even if people are aware of what is happening, they keep quiet because for them talking about it is shameful- they think it is a bad thing.”
What kind of responsibility lies on your shoulders while talking to your audience on such sensitive topics? What, according to you, is the best way to approach these issues?
“There is immense amount of responsibility on our shoulders and it usually starts after our workshops. When children report such cases to us, we need to deal with them with caution and care. But these cases also need to be reported. You need to understand the children’s stance as well. We have to counsel them and be very careful about what you say. These things have a very powerful implication in people’s lives.”
Being a youth-led organisation, is it difficult to finance your project?
“Yes it is very difficult for me to get finances, especially because I come from a legal background and have limited financial knowledge. But I’m sure we will be able to manage well with the sheer passion we have to bring about a change.”
What is the role of your team/champions in the project?
“My champions are the life of the project. They work round the clock to give workshops and find affiliations, despite being employed. As I give this interview right now, my champions are out there conducting workshops. They are the backbone of Our Voix.”
Where do you think our society is headed, keeping the current situation in mind? What can we, as the future of the nation, do to improve the conditions?
“Our youth is aware but they don’t know what to do. Hence the first step is to start talking about these issues. I remember, at a field exercise we asked someone the meaning of child sexual abuse and they said – ‘ when children abuse, it’s called child abuse.” This kind of ignorance can only be tackled if the youth starts reading and talking more about societal issues. Once, a conversation starts, our society will automatically become more responsible.”
Considering that our society has a lot of scope for improvement and change, where is your project headed now? What’s your next agenda in line?
“Our next agenda is to increase our reach through mass awareness campaigns. We have started affiliating with more and more schools and colleges. We aim to train the youth so that they can further impart the knowledge.”
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Activist: Devyani Mahajan
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How and why was Nazariya started?
Ruth and Shruthi, the founders of Nazariya (who have now graduated), thought that on-campus organisation for LGBT youth and school kids are extremely less, close to non-existent. We have a lot of gender cells and women development cells in DU, but we don’t have any on-ground direct advocacy action groups or organisations that work in directly helping individuals. So from that the idea of Nazariya grew and eventually we started having more straight allies as we wanted more participation.
What is the reach of Nazariya?
We operate through our WhatsApp and other social media, through which we have about 200 members in Delhi itself. Nazariya unexpectedly grew, but our guidelines are very strict. We don’t want our members to sit back and only have social media campaigns. We want them to come directly on the roads and our events. Our members are spread across DU and our spread is across schools as well- Rishi is our youngest Nazariya member and he’s a great activist. He’s just from school and he’s doing so much.
What kind of activities and protests do you organise?
We are just a year old and till date we have organised 4 events. The first one was with Project Voice+ which went brilliantly. Apart from that we’ve had panel discussions, drag shows, speed dating for queer individuals in our events. We do this because we think we need a safe space for young queer individuals, and we try to deliver that through our events.
We are now trying to make our events as accessible as possible because we do realise that there is a lot of intersectionality and class structure even in the queer movement. We don’t want to give in to the class structure and want our events to be as accessible as possible. For this we try to get areas that will get us venues free of cost or would be given by allies.
We’ve also had protests which were about the issues at hand. We had one about the ‘semen’ issue that happened at Amar Colony, and another one for the person who was murdered by his ‘Grinder’ date. Our protests are very suddenly planned and we like that fact- because if you think too much or wait, then the moment goes where you can make an impact.
We are now trying to make our events as accessible as possible because we do realise that there is a lot of intersectionality and class structure even in the queer movement. We don’t want to give in to the class structure and want our events to be as accessible as possible. For this we try to get areas that will get us venues free of cost or would be given by allies.
We’ve also had protests which were about the issues at hand. We had one about the ‘semen’ issue that happened at Amar Colony, and another one for the person who was murdered by his ‘Grinder’ date. Our protests are very suddenly planned and we like that fact- because if you think too much or wait, then the moment goes where you can make an impact.
You’ve been doing phenomenal work. If you had to define the main objective behind Nazariya, what would it be?
‘To annihilate the establishment’ is our motto. Our most important objective is queer liberation. However we believe that before anything else, before fighting, we need to address intersectionality. We need to address the issue from the very grass root level. I think that is what sets us apart.
Also the fact that this organisation was started by two women, makes it a very defining factor. Because in many queer organisations, women do not get a great voice. This is because they are mostly run by cis- gay men-it is not an attack on them but they do need to realise that they are also privileged even within the movement.
Also the fact that this organisation was started by two women, makes it a very defining factor. Because in many queer organisations, women do not get a great voice. This is because they are mostly run by cis- gay men-it is not an attack on them but they do need to realise that they are also privileged even within the movement.
What is Nazariya doing for pride month?
We had a few plans for raising funds to make the campaigns more accessible on the grass root level, but right now considering that the pride month has been marked by a lot of violence, even in Delhi, we have kind of stalled the work. Even our members were taken aback as to what pride month has come down to. We do see a lot of people using rainbow filters and what not, which is not a wrong thing to do, but we believe that at the heart of it, we are not there yet because instances of violence against transwomen and other queer people still prevail and go unreported.
However, we do have planned anti-bullying campaigns, which will crystallise soon. A lot of our events are centred on celebrating pride but are not deviating from the idea that pride started as a riot and not celebration.
However, we do have planned anti-bullying campaigns, which will crystallise soon. A lot of our events are centred on celebrating pride but are not deviating from the idea that pride started as a riot and not celebration.
What had been your most successful campaign in the past?
This was a campaign that I wasn’t personally a part of, but it has made a great impact and has had a good reach. My juniors went out to CP and led out an entire campaign after the Supreme Court reviewed Section 377 of the IPC. They went out with flyers and pamphlets about the section, both in Hindi and English, and distributed it around CP. We had a lot of performances there including poetry, dance, music and theatre. Through that, we garnered attention not only from our existing audience but also from several new people around the area.
What are Nazariya’s future plans and how do you plan to manage funds being a grass root organisation?
All the money that we have earned till date is from our Diwali mela exhibit. Now we plan to organise a fundraiser which will hopefully help us through the next year. We don’t want to charge people for our events and exploit them by asking for high entry fees. Merely selling awareness merchandise like bookmarks and pamphlets do help us with funds. But we plan on doing some more.
We are also planning to expand to other cities by next year, if we get good resources and contacts.
We are also planning to expand to other cities by next year, if we get good resources and contacts.
What would be your one last message to people reading this article?
Since it is Pride Month, I think it is important to address this. You guys can celebrate pride as much as you want to, but you must know the history behind it. Right now you might be hearing about gay men but hardly anyone talks about the queer women who started the Stonewall riots- the very essence of pride. In India, there is hardly any documentation and coverage about the history. So it is important that you get your facts rights before you participate in pride parades. Don’t just do it to get pictures clicked or to meet cool people but also understand what it stands for. Even when you follow all these activism pages like Project Voice+ and Nazariya, don’t just follow them for the aesthetic and humour, but actually understand where they are coming from and what they are talking about.
What do you think is the role of straight allies in the movement?
I believe that their role is to listen to queer people- their victories and their struggles. They must also celebrate with them rather than for them. If you recognise yourself as a straight ally, don’t be afraid to ask questions. We want you to learn and understand our pronouns. It’s natural to get confused about the spectrum that there is, so ask. But don’t overpower them with your privilege.
Also, as soon as you do something for the queer community, don’t start celebrating yourself for doing something brilliant. What you’re doing is definitely commendable, but do understand that it is something that is expected of you, something that you are supposed to do as an ally and as a fellow human.
Also, as soon as you do something for the queer community, don’t start celebrating yourself for doing something brilliant. What you’re doing is definitely commendable, but do understand that it is something that is expected of you, something that you are supposed to do as an ally and as a fellow human.
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Activist: Anshula Tiwari
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Please throw some light on the Delhi Chapter that you’ve opened recently.
Uddeshya Delhi is the newest chapter after Vellore, Mumbai, Chennai, Kanpur etc. We opened only in March 2018. So unlike many of these chapters that I just mentioned, our approach is city wide, instead of being institutional. This makes our work extremely hard, but also really exciting. Our future work mainly depends on the 4 chosen ambits that we want to focus on, which are: mental health, substance abuse, women empowerment and social entrepreneurship. Within social entrepreneurship, we want to give rural women to earn a livelihood for themselves. The reason why we chose Delhi is because of its diversity and size. We have identified plethora of problems for which we want to give solutions. Also Delhi has a lot of scope, primarily because it’s the capital of India- also, the ‘rape capital’. Thus we opened in Delhi. We have a lot of work to do, but we’re really excited.
Could you tell us a little about what you already have in store right now?
Most of our events and activities depend on PETP which is Peer Educator Training Program. It’s the flagship initiative of Uddeshya, not just of the Delhi Chapter. The premise of the entire program is that you are likely to listen to someone of your own age. So we seek to help, guide and give advice to people, not as figures of authority, but as friends and peers so that they actually pay heed to our advice. This way we can ensure that they actually use the information we give them in a positive way.
Apart from the PETP sessions that we seek to hold, we are planning activities on the ambits of Uddeshya Delhi that I just mentioned. We had a Drum Circle just a few weeks back- which was extremely informative and successful. Other than that we also have a couple of events planned on the field of mental health for the month of July.
Apart from the PETP sessions that we seek to hold, we are planning activities on the ambits of Uddeshya Delhi that I just mentioned. We had a Drum Circle just a few weeks back- which was extremely informative and successful. Other than that we also have a couple of events planned on the field of mental health for the month of July.
Do the mentors conducting PETP workshops go through some training?
Yes. All the mentors have a comprehensive set of knowledge about the issues that you might want to know about. They help people in a very sensitive and informed way. They do not say things that might trigger something or be completely misunderstood. So in that way we help a lot of people. The program has impact around 2000 people and has become a very powerful tool for Uddeshya.
How do you deal with the negativity amongst your audience, especially the ones who are vary to any information from someone of the same age group and refuse to trust you?
The point of our audience trusting us, comes from what we want to say and how we say it. We never really tell them that you should listen to me because I’ve gone through this or maybe because this is right; we just keep the interaction very casual and just between us. It almost seems like two friends talking about problems and one giving a solution or an advice. We advise to the best of our capacity. So we don’t really say that ‘you should listen to me’ or ‘this is what is right’. In fact this is what we want to avoid, as most often as not you end up sounding like a figure of authority. Hence we just give them advice and leave the rest to their discretion.
Can you tell us something about your team and how you function, and as to how people can get in touch with you?
Our team basically consists of seven people divided into functions like HR, Finance, PR etc. If you were to become a member of Uddeshya Delhi, it would be really advantageous- not only because you’ll get a letter of recommendation but we will also give you an opportunity to have a first-hand experience of ground work, research, planning events etc. We will take your strengths and ideas into utmost consideration and would plan our events around the ideas that you give. So it will be a good way of gaining experience and also doing well for the society at the same time.
Is there any age limit or any other criteria that a person needs to meet to be a part of the team?
Yes, we have an age limit of 25, being a youth for youth organisation Apart from that, there’s no other criteria. We are looking for people to join us, so if you wish to be a part of our initiative, please fill out the google form which is there on our Facebook and Instagram pages. The membership is a yearlong process and we promise that you will get to learn and lot and will have a lot of fun too.
Can you throw some light on the work that you have been doing in the field of gender and sexuality?
We have a sexual abuse module (workshop based) which was formed after the Nirbhaya Rape case in Delhi and the country emerged as one of the most unsafe places for women. Through this module we seek to debunk the myths that surround the victims and to help them get mental and social rehabilitation. Through mental rehabilitation we seek to differentiate between sympathising and empathising, so we don’t only want to feel sorry for them. We stay with them through every step of their healing process. Through social rehabilitation, we seek to give them courage to go back out into the society, no matter how many prejudices they might face. This module also focuses on workplace harassment and tell people what they should do, whom they should call etc. The basic aim is to initiate dialogue- to make the victims talk about what they’ve gone through, to seek help that we can give to them.
Apart from this, we have also been constant supporters of the One Billion Rising campaign, which is an international campaign curated in 201 to end sexual violence against women. Our parent institution VIT Vellore, select a day every year to gather people and hold events to spread awareness about rape, sexual violence, assault etc. At the end of the day, they all take the OBR pledge to help initiate change in that area.
Apart from this, we have also been constant supporters of the One Billion Rising campaign, which is an international campaign curated in 201 to end sexual violence against women. Our parent institution VIT Vellore, select a day every year to gather people and hold events to spread awareness about rape, sexual violence, assault etc. At the end of the day, they all take the OBR pledge to help initiate change in that area.
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"It’s honestly a terrifying experience as we do not gain the support from either our family’s or friends . Environments such as school become extremely hostile and dangerous both mentally and physically as you are seen in a different light as if your someone who is just always craving sexual connection with someone and that we can control it . Sometimes even if we say something out we are always consistently dismissed being told your gay what would you know or your gay no one cares what you have to say or that if your gay you automatically become a transgender individual. Due to these reasons it is why I choose to stay closeted no mater what." "19 Male heterosexual I've constantly encountered a very large resistance to LGBTQ in Sri Lanka even in instances where I've just stood up for the community in the scene that I believe that there's nothing wrong with being LGBTQ. The common mindset of people to resist everything different is quite unreasonable in my opinion. The LGBTQ community is no different to us in any way, they do no harm, but by just having a different sexuality the people of Sri Lanka justify being against it due to culture and religious beliefs. I would urge everyone to have a better mindset to support anyone different. Why do we celebrate certain individual differences and shun others. There is no shame in being who you are! I wish the best of luck And pray for courage to those who feel as if they have no self worth or to those in fear You are Unique Never question that But celebrate it There is little to be accomplished through judging one's self worth by the opinion of others Accept yourself Love yourself Better yourself I believe that people should stand up for LGBTQ to make them feel more welcome. Choose to not fear what you don't understand." "It’s actually hard being bisexual knowing both your parents would never accept it and all your relatives will look at you as if you are a piece of trash. But in the hope of not making my parents be embarrassed of me I try my best to limit the people I date to guys. I’m 16 and only a very few know that I am bisexual." "It’s alright. Probably because I’m conditioned to the stares & people’s different opinions on being LGBTQ+ Negativity isn’t what fuels me to be myself, it’s the positivity which I receive from my family, friends and random people." "Hey, I'm a 17 year old female and a bisexual. I haven't really come out to my parents cause I'm not very sure they would accept me, but my friends and few of my cousins are aware. I've known I was bisexual since I was around 13 or 14, and it bothered me a lot since I thought it was not normal, and there was no one else like me when I began to be interested in the same gender. I think this mostly was because in Sri Lanka homosexuals are given a really bad reputation, or rather people dislike that and try to hide it. I would love to change that. I tried approaching the subject of not being hetero with my mum, and I didn't imply it very well so I feel she didn't understand what I meant. But I'm dead scared to approach the idea with my dad although I know they will hopefully love me and accept me as I am. My mum is very neutral but I am not sure of what her actual thoughts on the whole LGBT community is, but my dad hasn't even thought of me being not competely hetero. I hope to come out to them maybe in my twenties! But honestly in Sri Lanka, people like us are not treated very well so that's why most of us hide behind the accepted norm of being straight. I mean we are all people regardless of our preference, and while it's easy for me to accept it because that's who I am, I understand that it's quite hard for others, generally the earlier geneations like parents and grandparents. Apart from this, when it came to voting for LGBT rights in the parliament a few years back only Mangala Samaraweera voted, and I think if our little island wants to develop we need to accept that not everything is black and white; that there is a whole spectrum left to see, uncharted waters and all that. I wish for SL to be open minded and accepting of various things, but I guess if we don't even have proper etnic harmony asking for something that is disregarded in most religion's is a bit much. In Buddhism though, I have not come across such discrimination or anything rather against LGBT because it mentions "spouse" and not a specific gender. What I'm trying to say is in Buddhism being LGBT+ is not thought of as bad as it's just not mentioned at all. On the whole I'm happy that I have accepted my sexuality, because I couldn't bring myself to accept it till last year. And even now I try not to think of what if and what may happen cause I really don't want to lose what ibahve right now. I would love a reply, and I'm really glad that this is happening. Also this is to everyone struggling or not struggling with anything, remember there is always someone who cares even if you don't know it!💕" "I'm a 17 year old bisexual male. I've been called a f*ggot and an abomination. I've also been told that identifying as bisexual is a stepping stone to come out as gay. The stereotypes and generalisations need to end. We are people too, and we deserve love as much as any straight person in society." |
"It’s hard because there’s so much stigma and unintentional homophobia. Sometimes I’m scared to be myself because I don’t want to be ostracised." "Being lgbtqia+ in Sri Lanka means constantly having to hide my identity and lie about who I am and who I’m attracted to. It’s having to lie about my beliefs on a daily basis. Being lgbtqia+ in Sri Lanka is tiring and slightly terrifying, especially as a student. You never know when you could be “outed” because you were acting a certain way or be suspected to be a homosexual just because you were hanging out with another student of the same gender for a bit too much in the eyes of your teachers. It’s constantly having to look over your shoulder when you’re in public and making sure you don’t stray too far from the norm, god forbid someone from school sees you being your authentic self. I’ve personally been discriminated more than once for the way I choose to express my gender identity by being called “transgender” or “a confused (insert gender)” more than once in class. Honestly it’s just sad how some Sri Lankan’s use people’s indentites as insults. Even if I was what they claimed me to be, that teacher had no right to use that term the way they did in the context that they did. It’s an amazing thing to see people being their true authentic selves in public, especially in Sri Lanka, but it’s so very rare and in most cases the person expressing themselves ends up getting victimised just for being their true selves. It’s being disgusted by the way your community and public figures react to the lgbtqia+ community." "The hardest part about coming out is not knowing how some people will react. Nobody is really predictable. Personally, if I don’t come out in environments that I don’t feel safe in. Surprisingly, I’ve been feeling a lot safer than i expected. People are willing to listen and learn now and that’s a great thing. There’s not a lot of dating happening though. It’s pretty lonely on this side. Especially if you consider the fact that so many people are closeted." "Age:26 Gender: female I grew up in a very progressive family, we had a lot of openly gay family friends while growing up, which was wonderful. I think I discovered I was bi when I was around 15, at least that's when it sunk in but I ignored it up until I went abroad for my education that's when I really got to explore things. I'm not fully out to my family, some know, some don't. I think it's important to take your time deciding when it's comfortable for you to come out. I feel lucky to have the friends and family I have, but I also know some of my family won't accept me and some have tried to convince me it's a phase. Just stay strong and true to yourself, I think eventually things get better and they will fall into place..." "Hello, I’m a girl in an open relationship with another girl☺️, basically our families and our friends knows about us and also we maintain a YouTube channel that shows our day to day experiences together called the Lesketeers. But despite the acceptance we get, we still have to go through constant bullying and that has also made me insecure about myself but as a person in the LGBTQ+ community in Sri Lanka i’d Have to say is it’s hard to come out but once you do the right people will love you for who you are and meeting people who are also LGBTQ+ feels like finally you are home, and you feel accepted and that being you is never judged, as they say Love is more powerful than hate 💕 So if you’re someone closeted, questioning or scared all I have to say is yeah it’s hard, the society says scary things but don’t let their words get you down, find the right people and they will make your life better 😊. Cheers ❤️" "The prevalent homophobia that exists within society makes it difficult for someone to come out as gay, and as hard as that is, it's to some extent worse for those that identify as pan, poly, bisexual, etc. This sis due to people's reluctance to learn about things they do not understand rather than simply shunning them. Following the induction of the new government, progress has been made, such as announcing on a global stage that measures will be taken towards decriminalising same sex relations, hopefully this is followed through on, because it would play a pivotal role in making life better for every member of the LGBTQ+ community, which includes not just adults, but also youth, who are put into extremely vulnerable positions when they are kicked out their homes, and disowned simply for being gay, trans, bi, etc." "One of the problems is that people still constantly use words such like 'gay' as a derogatory term. Words like 'fxggot', and 'pxnnaya' are still thrown around so lightly. This is in part because people using them simply do not understand the full extent of them using these words. Their defence is mainly 'Oh but I would never say that to a gay person', but considering how this kinda of language can actually pressure people into staying closeted, you don't know if there is a queer person around. It's heartbreaking to see so many of my closeted friends have to endure these words being thrown around and they can speak up about it due to the fear of being outed." |
‘Self-love’ is to put yourself and your own happiness first, something that deeply lacks in our current society. We have been moulded to live a disconnected and disempowered life, where the only right way to sustain is the society’s way. We are taught that it is not safe to show our true-selves and therefore we begin to detach from our individuality, sacredness and most importantly, our sexuality and true preferences.
#rEVOLution is a campaign on "Self-love" and "Acceptance."
As a part of this campaign, we organised the Global Bubble Parade, are creating a training module, and sharing your stories to inspire change!
You can find some of the stories we've received so far are here!
#rEVOLution is a campaign on "Self-love" and "Acceptance."
As a part of this campaign, we organised the Global Bubble Parade, are creating a training module, and sharing your stories to inspire change!
You can find some of the stories we've received so far are here!