If there’s a queer event happening in the city, you’ll likely spot Suhail Abbasi there, particularly if the event is being held in collaboration with a corporate entity. Abbasi, a seasoned activist and the co-founder and chairperson of The Humsafar Trust, is easily identifiable by his signature waistcoats over a T-shirt and jeans, silver peekaboo bangs and his mild mannerisms. But only a few in the community are aware of the 65-year-old’s illustrious corporate career that began in 1995, back when inclusivity was not even a concept.

In fact, Abbasi was among the handful of queer people to make the first strides on progress in the corporate sphere in India, helping create diversity and inclusivity (D&I) policies for a well-known media multinational where he spent most of his corporate career. “In those days, there was no semblance of D&I, and all these terms were very alien. In fact, the atmosphere was quite homophobic,” Abbasi tells us over the phone.