Aruna Desai is a graduate from Bombay University & Head of HR & Admin in a manufacturing Company in India. She is Co-founder of Sweekar – The Rainbow Parents. This group bridges the gap between parents of LGBTIQ children and strives to build a parallel structure of support system for them. She is a proud mother of a queer child and an ally of the community. She decided to be a part of parent’s meets and panel discussions when she realised that not all the parents accept their children the way they are. Since then she has counselled many parents and children. She has previously spoken at Salzburg-Nepal, ILGA Asia-Vietnam and 8th ILGA Asia conference in South Korea. Her advocacy is widely reported in the Indian media besides talks and in-person counselling. To further her cause, she co-produced a multi-award winning Indian film called ‘EVENING SHADOWS’ that focuses on a parent-child relationship and acceptance of sexuality. She is one of the authors of the book “eqaALLY” which talks about LGBTQ+ allyship. She is the recipient of five iconic awards from the community namely QUEEROES, PHILANTHROPIST, OUT AND LOUD PARENT OF THE YEAR, an ALLY Award and National Transgender Vidhya Award.