Biology:Sappho for Equality
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| Founded | 2003 |
|---|---|
| Focus | LGBT |
| Location | |
Area served | Eastern India |
| Method | support services, arts, advocacy |
| Website | www |
Sappho for Equality is an organization based in Kolkata, India , working for the rights of lesbians, bisexual women, and trans men in Eastern India.[1]
It focuses on community empowerment and support, engagement with civil society and other organizations, and advocacy and lobbying.[1]
History
Sappho for Equality was founded out of Sappho, an organization established in June 1999 by three middle-class Bengali lesbian couples,[1][2][3] inspired by the 1996 film Fire.[3] The organization was named after the 6th century Greek poet.[1]
According to Sappho for Equality's website, Sappho worked to "provide safe space and emotional support for sexually marginalized women and female to male transpersons," but moved on to "rights/justice based framework to fight homophobia, discrimination and violence against LBT persons."[1]
Core members of Sappho founded Sappho for Equality in 2003, focusing on activism and public outreach.[2]
According to Sappho for Equality's website, "Sappho today exists parallel to Sappho for Equality as the LBT community based informal support group.")[1] According to Srila Roy in OUPblog, "Members of Sappho are automatically members of SFE, but not the other way round. Sappho embodies, in this way, two common strands of the queer movement in India—one that links sexuality to identity (the support group) and one that attempts to break this very association (the activist platform)."[2]
Work
Sappho for Equality's community support work includes offering peer counseling, running a helpline[4] and counseling service, and conducting workshops.[1][5] As of 2013, its helpline received seven calls a day.[6]
It runs an annual "Sexuality Academy", works with students,[7] participates in the Kolkata Book Fair,[2][3] documents issues like lesbian suicides,[3] and does advocacy work on issues like Section 377, in addition to working with police, medical students, and medical practitioners.[1][5]
Sappho for Equality organizes Dialogues, an annual LGBT film and video festival established in 2007.[8][9][10][11]
It publishes Swakanthey, a magazine described by Scroll.in as "a biannual, bilingual six-page newsletter of academic articles, non-fiction stories and poetry," established in 2004.[12][13]
See also
- LGBT rights in India
- Homosexuality in India
- LGBT culture in India
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "Sappho for Equality" (in en-IN). http://www.sapphokolkata.in/sappho-for-equality/.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Lesbian existence and marginalization in India | OUPblog" (in en-US). OUPblog. 2015-06-25. https://blog.oup.com/2015/06/lesbian-marginalization-india/.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Bag, Shamik (2014-02-08). "Love struck Juliet". Mint. http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/H8xiB49bsya0wbmufESgzJ/The-Love-Issue--Love-struck-Juliet.html.
- ↑ Trivedi, Divya (2013-06-18). "New helpline for lesbians in Delhi" (in en-IN). The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/new-helpline-for-lesbians-in-delhi/article4825934.ece.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Activities" (in en-IN). http://www.sapphokolkata.in/activities/.
- ↑ Biswas, Ranjita (June 2013). "Indian Women Talk About Sex – in Cyberspace". Inter Press Service. http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/06/indian-women-talk-about-sex-in-cyberspace/.
- ↑ "Out of the campus closet". The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/Out-of-the-campus-closet/articleshow/23601336.cms.
- ↑ "Three-day LGBT film fest starts". The Telegraph. https://www.telegraphindia.com/calcutta/three-day-lgbt-film-fest-starts-188490.
- ↑ "LGBT film fest in Kolkata this weekend - Times of India". The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/LGBT-film-fest-in-Kolkata-this-weekend/articleshow/49886295.cms.
- ↑ "LGBT film fest to focus on sexuality in South Asia" (in en-US). IndiaTV. 2014-11-16. http://www.indiatvnews.com/entertainment/bollywood/lgbt-film-fest-on-sexuality-in-south-asia-18519.html.
- ↑ Ratnam, Dhamini (2015-06-06). "The Sex Talk: A queer film at a theatre next to you". Mint. http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/XMrDyxOcCi4GUgqGHjUX7L/The-Sex-Talk-A-queer-film-at-a-theatre-next-to-you.html.
- ↑ Dore, Bhavya. "For LGBT community, the internet can't quite replace magazine culture" (in en-US). Scroll.in. https://scroll.in/article/764889/for-lgbt-community-the-internet-cant-quite-replace-magazine-culture.
- ↑ "When will India get its first lesbian comic character?". The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/When-will-India-get-its-first-lesbian-comic-character/articleshow/48916426.cms.
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