The HIV/AIDS pandemic broke the silence and facilitated the creation of spaces on sexuality in India. Hetero-patriarchal structures based on oppositional binaries that carried prescriptive gender roles and codes were no longer the only valid choice for men and women. People had different choices; we learned to notice them alongside the rich diversity that surrounds …
Through all its work, Vikalp strives to familiarize the community in human rights through the collectivization of women and by developing various regular activities that bring the groups together. The following are the community groups and the areas in which they operate, along with their membership numbers as of April 2011- March 2012. Stree Sanghatan …
Vikalp’s engagement with livelihood issues was born out of the organizational approach to work alongside community expressions of choice and their needs. As a community group, the range of issues Vikalp gets involved with spans a wide range. Women who live in and around areas that the organization works in often come to the office …
Historically, women’s courts emerged to fill the gaps that the law and social perceptions failed to cover: a remedial measure to counter the domestic violence that validates day-to-day experiences of women. The Courts were thus the outcome of a whole series of changes that were happening across India and developed to the current from after …
In one of the April fortnightly editions of Down to Earth, a magazine focusing on the theme of the politics of environment and development, an article by Richard Mahapatra talks about the reinstatement of a state of mass poverty in India. For most of us, the slogan of “Garibi Hatao“, popularized in the 1970s by … Continue reading
September 2021 marks the 18th month since the imposition of the very first lockdown due to COVID-19 in India. For marginalized queer/trans persons living on the periphery of survival, it has been an arduous journey. The sudden lockdown created an unprecedented sense of isolation and fear, and within the blood families, problems intensified. But there … Continue reading
Trigger Warning: The essay below mentions and describes corrective rape and homophobia, lesbophobia, and transphobia. On July 7th, 2021 Gujarati newspaper Sandesh carried an article titled “હું અને મારી બહેનપળી મેરેજ નથી કરવા માંગતા, જિંદગીભર સાથે જ રહી શકીશું?” which translates to “Me and my friend do not want to marry – can we live … Continue reading
April 15th, 2021 marks the 7th year since the Honourable Supreme Court of India passed the NALSA Judgement which laid down favourable guidelines for the transgender community in India. The National Legal Services Authority, which was established as a means to provide free legal services for the marginalized, underrepresented/unrepresented, and oppressed sections of the society, … Continue reading
On 25th February, 2021, we visited Chhotaudepur to facilitate the process of name and gender change for members of the community, as provided under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 and the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2020. The first stop was made at the office of the Department of Social Justice, … Continue reading
A meeting was held in Vikalp’s office in Vadodara on 9th March, 2021, to facilitate the name and gender change for transgender persons by filling applications online on the National Portal for Transgender Persons,1 as provided under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, and Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rules, 2020. A total … Continue reading
On 6th January, 2021, a meeting was held with the representative of the district government in Chhotaudepur, Bhargavi Ninami and P.L Dindor, mamlatdar of Chhotaudepur. Ramesh Chaudhary, a school teacher from Ghelwad in Chhotaudepur was also present. Around 31 members of the community including female sex workers (FSW), men who have sex with men (MSM) … Continue reading
On December 2nd, 2020, an online event was hosted by “Prajnya 16 Days Campaign Against Gender Violence” (http://www.prajnya.in/16days) and “Prajnya” (http://www.prajnya.in/) entitled “The Violence of Heteronormativity: A Symposium”. Maya from Vikalp was one of the panelists in this session. The session sought to speak about the overarching structure of cis-heteronormativity fueled by the tenets of … Continue reading
December 1st of every year marks World AIDS Day, which seeks to raise awareness about, and dispel myths that exist around, HIV/AIDS. While HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a retrovirus that infects cells of the human immune system, AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) describes the collection of symptoms and infections associated with acquired deficiency of the … Continue reading
As a successor to a meeting on Continuing Medical Education (CME) in 2018, organized by the India Psychiatric Society, Gujarat State Branch, another such session was held on September 26th, 2020, entitled “Towards LGBTIQ+ Inclusive Healthcare In Gujarat”. Given the COVID-19 crisis, the same was held online through a virtual meeting in the form of … Continue reading
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