The LGBTQIA+ movement in Assam started flourishing by 2013-14 centered on Guwahati and since then the movement thrived in Assam. While the movement is growing and there was a need to reach the unreached in small towns and rural parts of Assam. With this need members from the community started mobilizing more people from small towns and rural Assam by 2020 and organized a pride meet-up in Jorhat on 16th April 2021.

Drishti was formed on 1st June in the year 2021 with the objective of working on gender justice with an intersectional feminist approach. Drishti emerged from the first Pride meet-up organized on 16th April 2021 by the LGBTQIA+ community in Jorhat. The event was marked as an effort to mobilize the community from smalltown, rural Assam. More than 70 people joined this maiden Pride meeting, exceeding all expectations and validating the need of the moment.

Since then the Drishti Collective has been working to build solidarities and bring together LGBTQIA+ people in Assam. Our work focuses on:

Community Mobilization:

As we focus on community building we are mobilizing the queer community in rural Assam and in small towns of Assam by organizing community meet-ups. Community meet-up takes place as a process of community building by engaging with community members in conversation around gender-sexuality, patriarchy, rights of the community, safe sex practice, sexual health, mental health etc.

Workshop & gender

awareness program on gender & sexuality in the Assamese language: Our collective members have been organizing workshops on gender & sexuality in the Assamese language with teachers, NGO workers, and University students. So far we have reached 150 humans through immersive workshops. Our workshops are around conversations around gender-sexuality, patriarchy, masculinity, rights of the LGBTQIA+ community.  

Our members have successfully organized gender awareness programs in more than 15 colleges, universities in Assam and outside of Assam with a reach of more than 5000 people in last year.  

Community Leadership Building:

We focus on bringing community voice to our decision-making process. Our core group is consist of 15 members who take decisions and execute work on the ground.

Enabling Pride Walk Committee:

Our collective members enabled Pride Walk Committee in Jorhat, Dibrugarh & Sibasagar to organize Pride Walk. Jorhat Pride Walk happened on 16th April 2022 with the participation of more than 250 people and Dibrugarh Pride Walk happened on 5th June 2022 with the participation of more than 500 people.  

Advocacy:

We are advocating for gender-neutral toilets and choice-based uniforms in educational institutions in Assam through our campaign #NoMoreHoldingMyPee https://chng.it/KYVP8CfH 

Drishti: A Queer Collective is governed by a core group of 15 members with diverse gender & sexual identity of the queer spectrum. Our core group is a group of young people from different colleges & universities in Assam.