Building Inclusive Spaces 

Panel Discussion with Koninika Roy, Richa Vashista & Shwetambera Parashar

25th September 2019 | 6.45pm - 8.00pm

Donor Pass: ₹ 150

Sharing space is the first step to coexistence. In a country where queer acceptance is still at its preliminary stages, institutional safe spaces have a huge impact on sesitisation towards the queer community. This panel will discuss what exactly entails a safe queer space, how companies, work spaces and institutions  can inculcate queer sensetisation and how to be a supportive ally to the LGBTQIA+ community.

Koninika Roy is a 25 year old out and proud Mumbaikar. Despite the stigma around being LGBTQ, she found acceptance and strength from her loving family. She now uses this strength to further LGBTQ rights. In her work at The Humsafar Trust, she has been tackling cases of discrimination and violence against LGBTQ persons in Mumbai and India.

She currently works at Godrej India Culture Lab. She maintains her interest in the LGBTQ community by being  part of the Managing Committee and Governing Board of the Integrated Network for Sexual Minorities (INFOSEM) which is the largest network of LGBTQ organizations in India.

Shwetambera manages TRANScend, an initiative by The Humsafar Trust aimed to enhance inclusion of transgender individuals in India through research and intervention into the socio-economic needs of the communities, capacity building of transgender community organizations, and sensitization of corporates, educational institutions, and other stakeholders. Prior to TRANScend, Shwetambera handled SAHYOG, a project aimed to address gaps in the National HIV program. She holds a master’s degree in development studies from the University of Manchester.

Richa Vashista (she/her) is a queer mental health professional with a Masters in Clinical Psychology. She has worked in the areas of Gender and Sexuality since 2014, providing therapy, doing workshops/training and part of organising events create awareness about sexual orientation and gender identity issues. Being out and proud has helped her explain LGBTQ issues whether it's a parent, teacher or anyone homophobic.

She calls herself an explorer in terms of work because you won't find her doing just one constant thing. Right now, she's the Outreach Director for Good Pitch India, a platform that connects social justice films to change makers to create impact. When not at work, she will be fetching food but remember, Joey doesn't share.