Mental Health and Pride Workhsop by We Together

Let’s travel back in time to the days when we had colour books, blocking out the outside world, ignoring the breeze flowing from the fans overhead, and disregarding the lit-up rectangles in our hands. Color books with a lot of drawings to colour and the desire or need to colour everything other than the whites. Some colours are louder than others, while others are more tranquil, somewhat like ambiverts. But diversity has always been a source of beauty. Sad to say, many people believe that sexuality is either homosexual or straight despite the fact that eye and skin colour exist in a variety of colours. And more often than not from the standpoint of making comparisons between good and wrong, black and white. We have often limited our horizons just like our limited beliefs to break the monotony of which a Pride Session and a Mental Health Workshop was organized by We Together . Where everyone had a different view that was addressed some common views were –
“Instead of heavily supporting major brands who only want to capitalize off of pride, actually supporting business owned by the LGBTQIA+ community is very important. It is significantly important to actively engage with them as it would help reduce the taboos created around them. Furthermore, allys should also help bring more awareness to others by correcting people who are trying to degrade the community.
~ Tanaya Sani.”

Another atendee Srinjani Karmakar who is a psychology student said “Allyship is not restricted to the pride month but is a process of continuous support, respect and acceptance for the LGBTQIA+ community. Also, people and brands should stop using the community and the pride month as pawns for gaining profits. Change can be brought only if we act responsibly, are ready to unlearn, open to diversity and create safe spaces for the community”. Subham Baliyan who attended the session had to say “The consequence of disparity of LGBTQI from society not only confined to them only it also may culminate to nation threat. Since they may be debarred, from opportunity that they deserve, so it may agitate them to join any anti-nation or anti-social group and harm people”. Soma Mitra put forward a point “Numerous LGBTQ individuals continue to experience prejudice in their private lives, in the workplace and public spacesMany LGBTQ people claim that they have changed their lives   in  order to avoid this prejudice and the trauma that comes with receiving unfair treatment.” and Chaitanya Sanjeev one of the youngest atendees summed up saying ” i believe everyone is entitled to get respect from the society either may it be male , female or any member from LGBTQ community

Picture of the Workshop Attendees

Most of our opinion has been formed due to bad pictorial representation from news and bollywood movies i believe more awareness should be given to public so they also understand how the other person feels “. Priyanshu Mohanty a Journalism student also said that even he feels pictorial representions have often paved a way about how LGBTQ community should be looked at and often that direction is not something good. The session ended with discussing possible solutions on how The World can be made a better place and everybody should end up respecting the unique  boundaries.