‘US committed to advancing human rights for all’

Director of American Center in Kolkata Elizabeth Lee said that the US is committed to advancing human rights for all with a special focus on LGBTQIA+ individuals.“Building support for and protecting universal human rights is at the very heart of our diplomacy,” Lee said in a conclave at the American Center here on Wednesday.The US Consulate General in Kolkata on Wednesday hosted the conclave on “Voices of Diversity – Action for Inclusion” under the “Rainbow Dialogues – All in this Together” project in partnership with US-based non-profit StoryCenter at the American Center.The event marked the culmination of a five-day immersive storytelling workshop at the American Center that brought together 10 LGBTQIA+ activists-participants from Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Jharkhand and West Bengal to share their personal stories and express their voices through short videos.“Since 2018, our Rainbow Dialogues project has provided a safe space for LGBTQIA+ community members to discuss issues related to inclusive society, generating employment, and helping build a strong alliance across South Asia for LGBTQIA+ people. Dovetailing on a strong US support, this conclave seeks to empower LGBTQIA+ individuals who are advocates for inclusive educational and training opportunities as well as safe public spaces,” Lee said.“It is really heartening today that our gathering brought together both LGBTQIA+ representatives and allies.  Being an ally is a choice.  It is about choosing to stand up for the basic human rights visibly and vocally, call out bias and unacceptable behavior, and use your voice to effect change,” she added.The conclave initiated conversations towards social acceptance, inclusion, and employment opportunities for LGBTQIA+ individuals through evidence-based dialogues, storytelling and network-building.It is the first state-level advocacy conclave under the ‘Rainbow Dialogues: All in this Together’ project, which is being implemented in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Manipur, Nagaland, Odisha, and West Bengal.The conclave was jointly facilitated by StoryCenter Silence Speaks director Amy Hill and USA based Theater Alliance Producing Artistic director Raymond Caldwell.Amy Hill said, “At a time when trans rights in the US are under fire, StoryCenter and Theater Alliance are proud to be standing in solidarity with queer and trans communities in India, supporting them in building community and sharing stories for advocacy.”Some participants presented their personal powerful stories through videos, and digital stories, and it was followed by an interactive panel on “What are we doing for inclusion in our own spaces.”The panel was designed based on the survey findings that showed that these four areas – home, education space, workspace, and public/popular media, are the most important spaces that the LGBTQIA+ individuals felt as key spaces where advocacy for inclusion are needed, and crucial for a life of dignity and safety.There was also a presentation on ‘Evidence from seven project states’ by BRIDGE India director Prithviraj Nath.