Pragati Singh

Pragati Singh is an Indian doctor, public health official, and activist. She is known for her work in the Indian asexual community and research on the topic. She featured on the BBC's 2019 list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world.[1][2][3][4]

Pragati Singh
CitizenshipIndia
Alma materMaulana Azad Medical College
Occupation(s)Asexual Activist, Public Health Professional
Websitedrpragatisingh.com

Early life and education

Singh grew up in Delhi.[5] She graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from Maulana Azad Medical College in 2011.

Career

Singh is a medical doctor and has worked as a public health professional in the fields of maternal, child, and reproductive health in India.[6] She has worked for organisations such as International SOS and the World Health Organization.

In 2014, Singh found that there were no present communities online for Indians who identify as asexual. As a result of this, she founded the self/non funded group 'Indian Aces' on Facebook, gaining a community of 3000+ members as time passed.[2][6]

In 2017, Singh launched the friend-finding service 'Platonicity', a google form initially ran through Facebook like Indian Aces, with a goal to one day become a mobile app. The purpose was to have a platform that matches people looking for a non-sexual relationship. It was inspired by frequent messages online by those who needed help with finding relationships, and others whose family were forcing them to get married. It surveyed a large range of factors from an individual's gradient of sexuality to their political stances. Due to the rapid increase of interest towards the form with over 300 entries from multiple countries in two days, it was shut down to create a method that can accommodate more people. Since then she has hosted 'offline meetups' under the same name of Platonicity across Delhi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai, helping with speed dating and building communities. These communities help those who identify as asexual know that they are not alone. When it comes to payment, she runs it under pay what you can model.[1][2][7][3][8]

In the same year, Singh's research study on asexuality was selected and presented at the World Association of Sexual Health Congress held in Prague. The findings of this study were then published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.[6]

As of 2019, Singh continues to run sexuality workshops, speed dating events, as well as group counseling sessions, raising awareness for and helping asexual communities. After extensive research, she has developed the "Comprehensive sexuality model". This model segregates sexuality into eight central components that form one sexual identity.[3] Another of her future goals is to bring these workshops into medical colleges, to bring her subjects to the eyes of more doctors.[8]

In a 2023 interview with Daniel Yo-Ling for Aze, Singh spoke to the differences in understanding asexuality as a sexual identity between the Western world and India, noting that "[as a sexual identity] in many context within India, it is less important," clarifying that "for my people, asexuality is not just about a flag, right? Or microidentities, or a label, it's not about that. It's about people literally making life and death decisions."[9]

Personal life

In 2014, Singh came across the term 'asexual' and immediately identified with it, and more specifically as gray asexual.[2]

References
  1. Muzaffar, Maroosha (9 July 2018). "An Asexual Dating Platform Still Has Many Kinks to Sort Out". Vice. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  2. Jason Overdorf; Romita Datta; Moeena Halim; Suhani Singh (14 February 2017). "From matrimony website for asexuals to hall of heroes: All that's changing around you". India Today. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  3. Sharma, Khushboo (16 October 2019). "Pragati Singh Is Trying To Transform India's Gender & Sexuality Landscape Through Interactive Workshops". Indian Women Blog - Stories of Indian Women. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  4. "BBC 100 Women 2019: Who is on the list?". 16 October 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  5. Changoiwala, Puja (5 December 2019). "The Love Doctor for Asexuals". Ozy. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  6. "Indian Aces: Awareness and Activism in India". AZE. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  7. Yadav, Sidharth (21 July 2019). "Attempt to define asexuality in more than one way". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  8. Halim, Moeena (21 February 2018). "Taking off the invisibility cloak". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  9. "Asexual Advocacy in India: An Interview with Dr. Pragati Singh". AZE. 27 March 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
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