Betu Singh (25 November 1964 to 4 October 2013) was a

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

rights activist, born in an Army family in

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

. She set up the Sangini Trust, an NGO based in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

under the umbrella of the Naz Foundation, in 1997 to fight for lesbian rights. The NGO works for women attracted to women and individuals dealing with their gender identity (F to M), providing emergency response services to LBT individuals facing rights violations. Sangini is the oldest non-governmental organization in India to reach out to LBT (Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender) persons and one of the few registered lesbian organisations in India.

Early life

Betu Singh went to Sophia Girls' School in Meerut and attended

Meerut University Chaudhary Charan Singh University (CCS University), formerly Meerut University, is a public state university located in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India. The university was established in 1965. It was later renamed to its current name after Chaudh ...

. She was a vocal woman at college and became the SFI (

Students' Federation of India The Students' Federation of India (abbreviated as SFI) is an Indian left-wing student organisation politically aligned to the ideologies of Independence, Democracy and Socialism. Currently, V. P. Sanu and Mayukh Biswas are elected as the All ...

) president of

. She later studied at Polytechnic in South Delhi. She was involved in sports activities like cycling and playing hockey, volleyball from a young age. She was also a black belt in Karate and practiced Judo. She initially worked as a security personnel in Delhi and then started a business in dining tables from R K Puram, Delhi, which later had an office at Nehru Place.

Activism

Betu Singh started Sangini in 1997 to help women dealing with issues around their sexual/gender orientation and/or identity, LBT and non-identifying women. She identified as a lesbian and was in a relationship with a woman, Cath, at the time she started Sangini. They started operating a shelter home for women from Vasant Kunj in Delhi. Later she worked with her partner Maya Shanker for Sangini. They set up a helpline for women to approach them and receive counselling. They also held group meetings to discuss problems and assist those in need of help. Sangini's focus has been on emergency support and to build a lesbian community. It has also taken up issues of domestic violence against straight women and helped victims. It aids people who want to leave their homes with legal procedures and to find job interviews later. Sangini has expanded operations to in Calcutta, Bombay, and Bangalore.

Activities since 2000

Since 2000, Sangini started visiting colleges and holding discussions to increase awareness on sexuality and about problems LBT and non-identifying women face. They started showing movies on the subject. They also started an initiative to spread awareness on safer sex at Tihar jail.

Awards

Betu Singh was awarded the KASHISH Rainbow Warrior Award on May 31, 2015. She was the first posthumous recipient of the award. The award instituted in 2015 by

KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival The KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival (also known as Mumbai International Queer Film Festival and Mumbai International Queer Film Festival) is an annual LGBT event that has been held in Mumbai, India, since 2010. The film festiva ...

recognizes LGBTQ persons working on LGBTQ rights. Fashion designer and BJP leader Shaina NC handed the award to Betu Singh’s co-worker Maya Shanker.

Death

Betu Singh died at the age of 49, on October 3, 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Betu 1964 births 2013 deaths Indian LGBT rights activists