Hari Dewan

My passion for inclusion stems from my personal experiences as an LGBT+ person of mixed minority ethnic background, so I wanted to share some of that with you and explain what inclusion is, why we should care about it and what I would do as Inclusion Officer. 

Where I grew up the population was 90% white, homophobia was widespread and sex education was inadequate and exclusively heterosexual, so after realising I was gay aged 12 I felt like I was broken, and the levels of guilt, shame and pain that came with that are something I can’t even describe. Exclusion is saying “you and your people are not welcome here” and children are at a very impressionable time in their lives, so whatever message they receive will be formative in their development. Exclusion teaches prejudice, discrimination and intolerance, while inclusion teaches people to accept differences and treat others with love and kindness.

I believe that inclusion is something every single person deserves to feel, and I love Sexpression with a dedicated passion. Being on the medical school’s EDI subcommittee, I hope to bring my experience with inclusion to the table and use it to help propel Sexpression forward the way we want – inclusive and accessible to everyone! As Inclusion Officer I would listen to your stories and ideas, working with other committee members to put out more inclusive education, events, activities and panels.