Category Gender, Pluralism and Social Inclusion

Bringing the struggles of lesbians, bisexual women and transmasculine community to the mainstream, Sonal Giani, a senior technical advisor (Diversity and Inclusion - South Asia region) at International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), New Delhi, wrapped up the first day of “Beyond Binaries: Understanding Sexual Identities and Queer Rights Issues in India” - a  Five-Day Immersive Online Certificate Training Course by the Gender Impacts Study Centre (GISC) on behalf of IMPRI Impact and Policy Research Institute of India on the instance of Pride Month.

Centering the discussion on the queer communities particularly in Northeast India, Dr. Kaustav Padmapati, an assistant professor (Senior Scale) at School of Modern Media, UPES, Dehradun India, enlightened the attendees on the history, culture and the present struggles faced by the LGBTQIA+ section of the society in the seven sisters of India. 

On Day 1, Professor Vibhuti Patel, Visiting Distinguished Professor, at IMPRI, focused her presentation on 'Body Normativity and Sexuality'. She began her presentation by defining the distinctions between sex and gender, focusing on the primary areas of sexual, biological, cultural (cultural social) interaction, and psychological differences.

The first speaker, Maya Awasthy, Co-founder of Transgender Welfare Equity and Empowerment Trust (TWEET) Foundation, commenced the discussion by delivering a presentation on the Historical Aspects of Trans Lives in India.