Sadam Hanjabam

Hanjabam grew up in Imphal during a period of armed conflict in Manipur. He completed his schooling there, went on to higher education in Assam and a master's degree in Kerala, and then took an MPhil and began doctoral study in development studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai. He has spoken publicly about the depression and isolation he experienced during that period, and returned to Manipur in 2017.

His account of his own mental health formed part of the Apple TV documentary series The Me You Can't See, executive produced by Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry.

Ya_All began in 2017 as an informal WhatsApp group for queer friends and acquaintances in Imphal, at a time when there was no support group for queer people in the region and many young people left the state to find a sense of belonging. Activities expanded into film screenings and community meetings, and the organisation was registered as a non-profit in June 2019.

Ya_All works on life skills, advocacy, research and capacity building across health, education, livelihoods and general wellbeing. It formed an all-transgender men's football team in 2020, reported as Asia's first, and set up the Ya_All Sports Club the same year. It runs the annual Queer Games, a shelter for homeless LGBTQIA+ young people, and the Rainbow Trust Centre, described as India's first de-addiction centre for transgender men. It has also run Khudol crowdfunding campaigns for crisis relief in Manipur.

The United Nations Envoy on Youth listed Ya_All among ten global initiatives led by queer people. Hanjabam was included in UNESCO's 50 Stories of Kindness and named by Dettol among its 100 Protectors. He is a UNDP Youth Co:Lab fellow and a Transforming Communities for Inclusion fellow, and has spoken at a TEDx event. Ya_All's work has also featured in the Amazon Prime Video series Rainbow Rishta.[2][3][4][5]