[Reader-list] Fw: Humsafar DIC: A Dream come true

Nitin Karani nkarani at hotmail.com
Tue Apr 27 03:13:53 IST 2004


> fyi
> nitin karani
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "The Humsafar Trust" <humsafartrust at yahoo.co.in>
> Sent: Monday, April 26, 2004 9:16 PM
>
>
> Last Sunday, 25th April 2004 "Humsafar" opened its door to all members of
> the queer community to its new Drop In Centre which was inaugurated by
> writer-celebrity columnist Shobha De in company of all friends who have
> supported us through all odds.
>
> Shobha De expressed her joy that the city's gay, lesbian, bisexual and
> transgender (LGBT) communities finally had a warm, comforting and safe
> drop-in center in Mumbai and it was a landmark day for the sexual
minorities
> in India. She said it was a matter of pride that the Mumbai Municipal
> Corporation and state had responded to the needs of community.
>
> In mid '90s, The Humsafar Trust embarked on a struggle to create a drop-in
> center to help meet the pressing need of the LGBT community for a safe
> space - a space where we can be ourselves without fear of harassment or
> violence.
>
> We made a small effort to make the word 'Humsafar' more meaningful and to
> provide social and recreational space and services for the community,
while
> we carried on the fight against a disease that threatened to decimate us.
> Over the years, Friday workshops--and later Bombay Dost 'Sunday
Highs'-have
> provided comfort and cheer to the community in a small but important way.
>
> Now, after three long years of arduous struggle and lobbying with BMC and
> other state officials-and much investment-a full-fledged drop-in center is
a
> dream that has finally come true.
>
> There are two distinct areas in this new Drop In Center - the lounge area
> and the events/workshops area--on the same floor. (So, if you feel you
have
> the talent in any art-fine art, performing, fashion or even gastronomy-we
> may be interested in show casing your creative expression for the rest of
> the community.) You can also just laze around in the lounge area or watch
> TV, listen to music, read gay-themed (and non-gay themed) books and
> magazines, play a board game or simply share stuff with your gay friends.
>
> Should you require any counselling or medical services including testing,
> these can be accessed on a separate (second) floor which is also the
> administration block.
>
> The  Drop In Center is open six days a week from 2.00 pm to 8.00 pm.
>
> The Drop In Center is also open on  2nd and 4th Sundays for "Sunday High"
> meetings organized by the Bombay Dost Group from 5.00 pm to 8.00pm
>
> Opening Attraction -- Queers Like Us : A poster exhibition of Gay Icons
>
> Address: First floor, The Humsafar Trust, Vakola Municipal Market
Building,
> Nehru Road, Vakola, Santa Cruz (East), Mumbai - 400 055. Tel.: 26187476,
> 26650547.
>
> Vivek Anand
> The Humsafar Trust
> -----------------------------
>
> Press Release
>
>
>
> Drop-in center for Mumbai's gay and lesbian community inaugurated by
Shobha
> De
>
>
> MUMBAI, April 25th: Celebrity columnist and writer Shobha De, expressed
her
> joy that the city's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)
> communities had finally got a warm, comforting and safe drop-in center in
> Mumbai. She said it was a matter of pride that the Mumbai Municipal
> Corporation was responding to the needs of communities under stress, and
> said that it was a landmark day for the sexual minorities in India.
>
>
>
> Ms. De was speaking after declaring open the Humsafar Trust's Drop-in
Center
> at Vakola in North Mumbai today as she addressed more than 150 gay men,
> lesbians and transgenders of the city. Ms. De said she was fascinated with
> the way gays and lesbians were organizing and hoped that the center would
> fulfill its purpose of being a safe space for all kinds of people
> marginalized by society for their sexual orientation.
>
>
>
> Mr. Ashok Row Kavi, chair of the Humsafar Trust, thanked both the BMC and
> the state government for helping set up services for the LGBT communities.
> Mr. Row Kavi said that the LGBT communities would also be able to access
> various services including counseling, health services, and information on
> sexuality and human rights issues. The center has a library with some rare
> books and drop-ins visiting the center could sit in the library and read
> books. The drop-in centre would be the venue for events of the Bombay Dost
> group and also be a platform to promote LGBT creative expression.
>
>
>
> Mr. Row Kavi added, "Even if we have never received funding for lesbian
> organizing, we are committed to helping the lesbian and bisexual women
> access funds and services in the city's health delivery system"
>
>
>
> Ms. Geeta Kumana of the lesbian NGO, the Aanchal Trust, expressed her
> happiness that lesbians too would share the space. "We intend using this
> space to celebrate our second anniversary next month," Kumana added. Ms.
> Kumana said she was delighted that a celebrity and writer like Shobha De
> came and encouraged the LGBT communities to fight for their rights. She
said
> Humsafar and Aanchal were partners in fighting oppression against lesbians
> and gay people in India. The Aanchal Trust runs a help-line and drop-in
> center for lesbian and bisexual women in Mumbai and she added that both
> organizations shared their scarce resources in helping their respective
> communities.
>
>
>
> Mr. Row Kavi further added that the center has a drop-in area for dietary
> advice for HIV positive persons, an STI clinic specially organized to
serve
> gay men, men-having-sex-with-men (MSM) and transgendered persons (hijras).
> Out of the 26 voluntary counseling and testing centres (VCTCs) started by
> the Mumbai District AIDS Control Society (MDACS) and the BMC, the Humsafar
> Trust's VCTC was the only one situated within an NGO to make it easier for
> gay men to access health facilities.
>
>
>
> Mr. Row Kavi said the Humsafar Trust had reached out to over one lakh MSM
at
> nearly 150 sites in and around Mumbai city to distribute nearly six lakh
> condoms and safer sex literature. It's outreach services were linked to
five
> public hospitals in Mumbai.
>
>
>
> Mr. Vivek Raj Anand, the Humsafar Trust's Chief Executive Officer, urged
the
> audience to go around and view the Bombay Dost gay and lesbian icons
> exhibition mounted at the drop-in center before giving a vote of thanks.
>
>
>
> For more information, please contact: Mr. Vivek Anand, c/o. The Humsafar
> Trust, tel: 26187476, 26650547 or Mr. Ashok Row Kavi (cell) 98203-30169
>



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