Kolkata-based social organisation, Sappho for Equality has been honoured with the 5th Martha Farrell Foundation Award (2021) for their conti...
Kolkata-based social organisation, Sappho for Equality has been honoured with the 5th Martha Farrell Foundation Award (2021) for their continued efforts towards the LBT community in eastern India.
The non-profit organisation has won the award in
the “Special Jury Award (Organisation)” category and was also
conferred a cash prize of Rs 1,00,000.
The award ceremony was hosted by Martha
Farrell Foundation, Participatory Research in Asia, and Rural Development
Trust, on November 20 in New Delhi.
Started in 1999, Sappho began as an
emotional support group and a collective for lesbian women. It is the oldest
organization in the eastern part of India that works with and for the
gender-sexually marginalized population who identify as Lesbian, Bisexual
women, and transmasculine persons (LBT). Towards ensuring gender equality and
supporting peers in the LBT community, Sappho for Equality provides peer
counselling, runs a helpline for crisis interventions, provides mental health
counselling services to LBT individuals and their families.
“It was in June of 1999 that eastern India's
first self-support group for lesbian bisexual women and trans persons (Female
to male) started. Our vision is to create a society where the rights and
lives of gender sexual minorities with intersecting marginalizations will be
respected and ensured. We want to move alongside identity-based
politics and arrive at the politics of standpoint. We thank Martha Farrell Award
for their recognition as it has strengthened our resolve to create a
gender-just society as per Martha's vision,” said a Sappho For Equality’s
spokesperson.
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