Delhi: Housed at a walkable distance from Vinobapuri metro station, the brand new LGBTQIA
+ centre in Delhi is a blazing sign of community, and a sanctified place of collectivisting for the queer community in and across the capital city.
Situated on the ground floor of the building that houses Naz Foundation Trust, one of India’s foremost queer rights organizations, this first-of-its-kind LGBTQIA community centre in East of Kailash, New Delhi, was opened on December 16, 2023 in association with the volunteer organization InsideOut Delhi.
The rainbow hues of the office and community centre may be easy to miss in the Delhi rush, but behind those doors lies a safe space that the LGBTQIA+ community in Delhi has yearned for years. Designed by queer affirmative Studio Juggernaut, the Centre, spread across 1,200 sq ft, caters to the diverse needs of the community.
The walls of the Centre showcase unabashed queer expressions. Photo: Sahil Pradhan
“We envision this centre as a vibrant space for the LGBTQIA+ community where they can express themselves freely, and access resources for their holistic well-being,” says Anjali Gopalan, founder of Naz Foundation.
This Centre has been established more than five years after the historic Supreme Court judgment in 2018 that decriminalized same-sex relations, bringing India at par with other progressive democracies, behind which Naz Foundation was a key figure for petitioning and much more.
With a gender-inclusive design, the Centre provides a space for gatherings and activities in a space of inclusion and diversity – from the interns who mesmerise you with their fun-filled yet insightful conversations to the warmth of the housekeeping staff.
It takes an army to raise and function a Centre like this, and Sahil Choudhary, coordinator of LGBTQIA+ programmes at Naz Foundation and operational spearhead of the Centre, and his team does this task tremendously.
“It takes a lot of work and passion to run spaces like this,” says Sahil. “It takes money, and everything we do needs resources. We are providing so much through the Centre — pro bono counselling, a functional clinic, a doctor who provides PReP and PeP medicines, HIV testing, and help with legal cases, which take a lot of finances. Our team of volunteers, interns and more are people we rely upon heavily to run this.”
Celebrating Queer Expressions
The LGBTQIA+ Centre focuses on providing resources, support, and opportunities for capacity development, celebrating queer excellence, and much more through its vibrant calendar of events that has received an overwhelming response.
Within a month of its opening, it has hosted events that have seen a tremendous amount of public participation from and within the community and beyond. They have organised their flagship programme, Queerkhanas, where people from the community gathered and basked in queer joy, queer heritage walks across Delhi to visit sites of queer historical relevance, and skill workshops. It also opened the flagship Naz clinic for medical counselling, conducted a sex workers programme, hosted an event for various Delhi-based colleges’ queer collectives to meet up, pro bono legal counselling and therapy sessions, and home-based care and volunteering.
A glimpse from the recent Queer Heritage Walk conducted by the Centre. Photo: Sahil Pradhan
“It has been lovely to connect with others like me at events here. The Queerkhana was an incredible experience since it allowed me to connect with other community members freely in a safe space,” says Arun*, a queer person participating actively in the Centre’s programmes.
Among the many events that they have hosted, a meet-up for collectivising queer collectives across colleges in Delhi wasa trendsetter. “It was incredible cross-connecting with the queer collectives in various colleges and discussing the common struggles and challenges we have faced and have been facing,” says Anjali*, a core council member of a University of Delhi college’s pride club.
The heritage walks have also been a hit too. In a city like Delhi where similar walks are held very often but mostly are inaccessible to the community due to finances, the Centre’s walks have been a blessing.
“I didn’t know that we have so much proof of queer history in India, and that queers back then were celebrated instead of being alienated from the society,” says Ankita, a community member who was part of the recent heritage walk, “Our guide was very nice, he knew how to create a safe space for us during the walk. The exchange of personal stories was interesting, it gives you a sense of community, and a sense of shared experiences.
Bridging Society’s Empathy Deficit
For too long, society’s empathy deficit has marginalised the LGBTQIA+ community by stifling their self-expression. Step into this Centre, and you notice walls with community artworks, brochures with personal stories, and more; affirmations shout out from every poster and section celebrating the diversity across identities. It is a testament to society that affirmation goes a long way in making disadvantaged communities feel seen and heard.
A view of the LGBTQIA+ Centre’s central hall where gatherings are hosted. Photo: Sahil Pradhan
“There exists no other space like this Centre in the city or even in the country because it’s one-of-a-kind facility that looks at providing holistic care to the queer community — addressing mental health issues, sexual health issues, legal issues, or simply providing a physical warm safe welcoming space for the community to just be themselves,” says Sahil. “We sometimes undervalue the value of these spaces.”
A promising development is the enthusiastic participation of queer youth who have found their safe space within the Centre. Freely attending events, learning, sharing, and forging friendships have boosted their self-confidence as they look to find their voice and passion.
“I was grappling with self-acceptance regarding my attraction towards the same gender, which greatly hampered my mental health and career. Finding this space with people navigating similar journeys gave me hope, and empowered me to take charge of my life,” says 19-year-old Agrima*.
Sahil says it becomes that safe haven for the community to keep falling back to. “A space like this is needed, and has been welcomed very well by the community members as shown by the humongous interest we have got within one month of its opening,” adds Sahil, “We have got lots of queries from the community members about what the centre does, what facilities are provided and things like that.”
While the Centre marks an important milestone, the road ahead is long for India to become an equal society for the LGBTQIA+ community. However, such inclusive community spaces act as a springboard to advocate for dismantling structural barriers.
“Sensitising all stakeholders to create a kinder society — government, police, judiciary, hospitals, schools, universities, parents and society-at-large — remains an enormous challenge,” says Biswajit, a queer college student and activist.
(*Some names have been changed to protect privacy)
