Launch of Keshav Suri Foundation Embrace, Empower, Mainstream

Oct 12, 2018

 

NEW DELHI, 12 October 2018: Hotelier & LGBTQ+ activist, Mr Keshav Suri, is set to launch the Keshav Suri Foundation that aims to work towards the upliftment of the marginalised LGBTQ+ community. The Foundation's launch will witness the first National Dialogue:'Queering the Pitch - Agents of Change'.

 

Hosted by The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group in partnership with FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry), the Conference will be held at The Lalit New Delhi on October 13, 2018 (tomorrow). The dialogue aims to bring together thought leaders from Corporate India, NGOs, content creators, political and legal fraternity & their roles as Agents of Change in Queering the Pitch.

 

Reflecting on this symposium Dr Jyotsna Suri, Chairperson and Managing Director, The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group said "I am proud to initiate this unique platform where relevant people can engage in a meaningful dialogue about the extremely marginalised LGBTQ community. We need to break the stereotyped image of the community, accept them socially and mainstream them professionally and economically."

 

The Keshav Suri Foundation has become the official affiliate of 'It Gets Better India', a global platform to uplift, empower and connect the LGBTQ+ community through storytelling & community building. With over 60 million views online this campaign has been one of the most successful social campaigns in modern history. The 'It Gets Better India' campaign has seen personalities such as Barack Obama, Stephen Colbert & organizations such as Google, Apple & various others participate in spreading positive messages that encourage queer youth to live their truth, with pride & dignity.

 

Excited about the endeavour, Mr Keshav Suri said, "We are glad that Section 377 has been read down. However, we have merely scratched the surface. Building off the success of the It Gets Better campaign, theKeshav Suri Foundation will illustrate HOW it CAN Get Better in the Indian context. The Foundation aims to provide employable skills to the community and sensitize organizations on more Diverse & Inclusive practices."

 

Mr Rashesh Shah, President, FICCI said, "FICCI is glad to be associated with this significant and timely endeavour." He added, "India is a land of varied geographies and cultural patterns. For a sustainable socio-economic growth, it is also important to ensure diversity, equality and inclusion at work place by undertaking intensified efforts towards enabling business opportunities for every section of society, irrespective of race, gender, disability, belief or sexual identity. FICCI believes in the ideology of common-good. We remain committed towards supporting and facilitating interactive platforms to deliberate upon such issues so that the benefits of diversity and inclusion can be leveraged across corporate India."