Who Is Divya Dureja? The Queer Activist Accused Of Sexual Assault

Divya Dureja: The queer activist Divya Dureja has been accused of wrongful confinement and sexual assault by Elodie Gendron, a yoga trainer. She was released on bail on Wednesday after her arrest on February 25.

On February 27, 2021, Gendron took to Instagram and accused Dureja of abducting, assaulting, and sexually molesting her. Gendron stated in her caption that "Divya contacted me on Instagram and I was impressed by her profile as she seemed to actively advocate for mental health and LGBTQ rights."

Describing her ordeal, Gendron revealed that "Under the false pretext of helping me with my chronicle back pain, she drugged me and locked me in her room for 6 hours, where she forcefully performed a so-called shamanic ritual." After she returned to the place of the assault, Sea View Resort with officers "The waiters admitted hearing everything and not trying to help me out."

FIRs have been registered against Dureja under Indian Penal Code Section 342 (wrongful confinement) and Section 354 (sexual assault). Dureja was arrested by the police on February 25. While Gendron was hesitant to about calling out Dureja online, she felt it was a necessary move for the interest of the LGBTQ+ community. Gendron shared that while Dureja has been arrested, she fears that Dureja "will eventually be freed on bail, and might assault someone else."

Who Is The Accused Divya Dureja?

1. Divya Dureja is a psychologist, LGBTQ activist, mental health advocate, slam poet, and TEDx speaker who identifies as queer.
2. As a performance poet, her poems often delve into the issues queer people face.
3. Dureja suffers from a condition called vaginismus and has spoken about her condition and her personal experiences.
4. She made a poetry film on vaginismus which has been shown in festivals around the world.
5. She is DJ Sapphic and a part of a collective of women DJs called Coven Code.
6. Dureja is the co-founder and director of Performers’ Consortium, which she described a platform for nourishing performers and creating safe event spaces.
7. She has worked at the OutRight Action International and the UN headquarters in Manhattan.
8. She curates an event called What a Pride Night! which focuses on the queer community.