A poster-painting contest at Dum Dum Swikriti Society

Biswanath, 29, has lived most of his childhood on sedatives and shock therapies. “My family thought my sexual orientation was a disease that could be cured with treatment. Now my parents understand my situation, but my brothers and sisters are yet to come to terms with it,” says Biswanath, a transgender resident of Barasat.

For Rajarshi Chakrabarty, an ex-student of Presidency College, the emotional upheaval resulted in a loss of an academic year.

“I felt marginalised. My parents took me to doctors who would ask me to constantly think of girls. I was so traumatised that I couldn’t sit for my Part II examinations,” says Rajarshi, a 33-year-old gay who now teaches in Krishnanath College, Behrampore.

Fed up with the discrimination and harassment at home and outside, Biswanath and Rajarshi joined hands with seven more friends to start Dum Dum Swikriti Society five years ago.

The organisation has since been reaching out to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people across the state to provide them with emotional support and a platform to speak out. The member count has swelled from nine to 50, some of whom are heterosexuals empathising with the LGBT cause.

“Eighty per cent of the people who come to us want to know if there is a cure for homosexuality and whether they will be able to find a partner. We try and instil confidence in them. We also sit with their family members to raise awareness about the matter,” says Rajarshi, the secretary of Swikriti.

With two addresses in north Calcutta — Dum Dum and Jawpur — Swikriti has devised a two-pronged path for its LGBT members.

As part of the service delivery module, Swikriti organises visits to doctors, community activities and income-generation programmes like tailoring, jewellery designing, and making idols and cards. “The income generation programme is aimed at the young and the financially weak, who are more susceptible to harassment,” says Rajarshi.

The other plan of action is to make themselves heard. Swikriti members hold rallies, health awareness camps and poster contests, and publish magazines containing writings on LGBT rights. The fifth edition of Swikriti Patrika came out at Boi Mela 2008 on Sunday.

The year-long activities culminate in a meeting of the Significant Other’s Forum, where the families of LGBT people meet to discuss the problems they face.