Maya Sharma, 65, and Indira Pathak, 55, have been working tirelessly for over a decade to ensure that women who love women find a safe haven in Gujarat. Sharma, the author of Loving Women: Being Lesbian in Unprivileged India (2006), joined Pathak's Vadodara-based human rights group, Vikalp, to research her book. What emerged from that association, however, was not only a one-of-its-kind narrative of working class and rural lesbians in India, but also a collective called Parma, for same-sex loving women and transmasculine persons from different parts of Gujarat. Parma now has over 200 members who meet monthly and find strength and support from this 'family'.
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