Sonzal Welfare Trust Study Documents LGBTQIA+ Discrimination in Kashmir
A report titled 'Yes, We Exist', prepared by the Sonzal Welfare Trust with research support from the Mariwala Health Initiative, has documented the familial discrimination, surveillance, and institutional challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals in Kashmir.
The study was based on eight months of fieldwork and interviews with 60 participants, including 44 LGBTQIA+ individuals. It examined their experiences across families, educational institutions, healthcare systems, law enforcement, and wider social structures.
Dr Aijaz Ahmad Bund, a researcher, activist, and assistant professor in the higher education department who led the study, said public discourse around LGBTQIA+ identities has shifted significantly over the past decade to normalise conversations on a previously stigmatised topic. However, he noted that visibility often brings consequences, including surveillance and emotional distress.
According to the report, familial discrimination was among the most common forms of marginalisation. Participants described having their mobile phones monitored, social media accounts scrutinised, friendships questioned, and movements tracked by relatives. In one instance, a 22-year-old participant from Srinagar recalled facing confrontation from his brother after messages were discovered on his phone, being told that it was contrary to their culture.
Marriage emerged as a recurring source of pressure, with some families believing counselling, prayer, or marriage could change an individual's identity. One participant noted family insistence that marrying a woman would make everything normal, while a lesbian participant recounted that her father stopped paying her college fees after she refused marriage proposals, jeopardising her education. The report noted that silence from families also served as a powerful tool of emotional control.
In educational institutions, the study documented verbal harassment, social exclusion, and bullying that at times escalated into physical intimidation, with teachers often ignoring incidents. Transgender participants also reported being excluded from religious spaces and discouraged or prevented from praying in mosques. The report concluded that despite some official administrative recognition, most LGBTQIA+ people in the region continue to live largely invisible lives.
