Access to research and resource pools created by credible organisations helps one gain a better understanding of the rainbow community. This section will feature some of the work done by organisations such as Mariwala Health Initiative, Point of View, The News Minute and Queer Chennai Chronicles. It also lists some of the organisations across the country working in the field that have agreed to share their contact details on this website.
MHI is a funding agency for innovative mental health initiatives, with a particular focus on making mental health accessible to marginalized persons and communities. They are dedicated to bringing together several mental health services to a wider audience, through funding, dialogue, advocacy and destigmatisation.
Here are some of MHI’s resources:
Queer Affirmative Counselling Practice (QACP)
This tab is a one-stop resource for LGBTQ+ mental health. It consists of over a 100 resources, including articles, videos, infographics and blogs. It was curated by queer-trans folks and our cohort of QACP alumni for the LGBTQ+ community, mental health practitioners, allies, psychology students.
List of Queer Affirmative Mental Health Practitioners
These MHPs from all over India have attended and completed MHI’s Queer Affirmative Counselling Practice course to build their capacity to work with the LGBTQ+ community from an anti-oppressive approach. They have private practices and/or are attached to organisations. They are not employed by MHI in any capacity. For those from the LGBTQ+ community, there is also a list of peer supporters and queer-trans collectives listed in the same sheet.
(©Mariwala Health Initiative 2023. This work is licensed under a CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 license)
Point of View, founded as a non-profit in Mumbai in 1996, uses words, images, art, culture, and media to change headspace around gender. It empowers women, girls, and gender and sexual minorities to shape and inhabit digital spaces.
Here are some of their publications and resources:
InQlusive Newsrooms is a collaboration between The News Minute and Queer Chennai Chronicles.
Organisations
(Organisations that have agreed to list with us)
MARIWALA HEALTH INITIATIVE (MHI) - Mumbai, Maharashtra
MHI provides grants and strategic support to organizations and collectives working within communities to provide greater access to mental health services for all.
Contact details:
Address: 8th floor, Grande Palladium, 175, CST Road, Kalina, Santa Cruz (E), Mumbai, Maharashtra 400098
Email: [email protected]
POINT OF VIEW - Mumbai, Maharashtra
Point of View, founded as a non-profit in Mumbai in 1996, uses words, images, art, culture, and media to change headspace around gender. It empowers women, girls, and gender and sexual minorities to shape and inhabit digital spaces.
Contact details
Address: 2nd floor, Sameera Villa, 10 Pali Village, Bandra West, Mumbai 400050
Email: [email protected]
TechSakhi: A Hindi helpline run by Point of View, a non-profit that equips women, girls, and marginalised genders to inhabit digital spaces – freely and fearlessly.
TechSakhi’s helpline number: 080 4568 5001
TAPISH Foundation - Madhya Pradesh
TAPISH (Transperson Association For Promoting Inclusion, Safety And Harmony) Foundation
The Foundation works toward creating a safe, inclusive, and harmonious environment for trans youth by creating awareness, sensitising regional government bodies and private stakeholders such as healthcare and education institutions, and supporting youth to build a rural trans youth movement.
Contact details:
Mobile: +91-7415356507
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://sites.google.com/view/tapishfoundation/home
The Humsafar Trust (HST) -Mumbai, Maharashtra
It was founded in April 1994 by journalist Ashok Row Kavi, media professional Suhail Abbasi and filmmaker Sridhar Rangayan, to reach out to LGBTQ communities in Mumbai metro and surrounding areas. After much networking and advocacy with the Mumbai Municipal Corporation it became the first openly gay community-based organisation to be allotted space in a municipal building in Mumbai. HST collaborates with public health delivery systems of Mumbai like LTMG, Nair, KEM and JJ Hospitals. It also organises advocacy workshops for healthcare provides, law enforcement agencies, judiciary, legislators, politicians and political parties, government bodies, media, student community to sensitise them on gay, MSM and TG issues.
Contact details:
Mumbai Address: 3rd Floor, Manthan Plaza, Nehru road, Vakola, Santacruz (East), Mumbai – 400055
Ph: +91 9892940966
Delhi Address: 1st Floor, Sant Nagar, # 75 Back Side, Landmark – next to MCD Primary School East Of Kailash, New Delhi – 110065
Phone: 011 – 46016699
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://humsafar.org/
Sappho for Equality - Kolkata, West Bengal
Sappho for Equality is the only registered organization in Kolkata that works for the rights and social justice of individuals with non-normative gender-sexual orientations, identities and expressions, especially persons assigned gender female at birth. It uniquely works to create bridges between the so-called normative and non-normative populations in our society and positions gender-sexuality within existing development discourses.
Contact details:
Address: 21, Jogendra Garden (South) Ground Floor, (Near Hindol Park), Kolkata – 700 078
Ph: +91 33 2441 9995 (10 am – 6 pm except Mondays, 2nd and 4th Sundays)
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.sapphokolkata.in
Helpline: +91 98315 18320 (10 am – 6 pm except Mondays)
ONDEDE - Karnataka
An organization that strives to create space for effective dialogues and support for children, women and sexual minorities. It acts as a platform for the convergence of forums working for vulnerable sections through conversations, research and action.
Contact details:
Address: C/o. Mahabodhi Arogya Seva Kendra, Siddapura Main Road, Jayanagar !st Block, Opp Lalbaugh, Bangalore – 560 011
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://ondede.wordpress.com
DHISHA - Kerala
Dhisha is an organisation that has been working to defend the rights of the marginalised for the past nine years.
Address: Janasevana Kendran, Thokkampara GRHS Road, Kottakal, Malappuram, Kerala
Helpline: +917306608391
SAHAYATRIKA - Kerala
Sahayatrika is a queer feminist organization based in Kerala, India, with a focus on providing support and resources to lesbian, bisexual women, and transgender individuals of Kerala origin. The name ‘Sahayatrika’ translates to ‘women fellow-travellers’ in Malayalam, capturing the essence of their mission.
Sahayatrika primarily engages in community support through free counselling, community organizing, and advocacy through public awareness programs aimed at fostering greater understanding and inclusivity for LGBT individuals. Their commitment to addressing the mental health and survival needs of these communities is commendable.
For those seeking support or information, Sahayatrika can be reached via phone at +91 9744955866 (active 24 hours, with counseling available in Malayalam and English from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or through email at [email protected].
Facebook-: https://www.facebook.com/Sahayaathrika
Instagram-: @saha.yatrika
SWEEKAR - Mumbai, Maharashtra
‘Sweekar: The Rainbow Parentsʼ is a Mumbai based group formed in 2017 by a few of the parents of Indian LGBTQ children. Their larger purpose of the group is – To play a pivotal role in building a more equal and safe world for LGBTQIA+ Children of Indian descent by strengthening acceptance in all spaces with primary focus on homes. Their main objectives are: To create a Safe Space for parents of LGBTQIA+ individuals to discuss their anxiety, fears and joys with their peers. To Facilitate Peer To Peer Sharing Between Parents and through external training for accurate scientific information about queer identities, laws, myths, religion, health, rights and the progress of the movement from an intersectional lens. To create a Repository Of Stories Of Acceptance and utilising it to empower other parents. Their aim is to support parents to accept their children fully. They operate through Facebook, WhatsApp , Instagram and by word of mouth. Before the reading down of Section 377 the Sweekar parents age profile was of slightly above 50. Post reading down 377 there are many younger parents who joined with younger children coming out.
They have over 400 members nationally and internationally. Many parents of very young children have joined them. In their WhatsApp groups and meetings, they listen to each other, counsel each other, talk to each other. They do meet from time to time, and they organise extensive training workshops to know about the community better. As part of their everyday work they handle crises and convince the parents about the importance of parental support in children’s lives.
They participate actively in community events voluntarily as in the Pride events, and join and initiate petitions. They also get invited to many national and international forums like ILGA Asia, Salzburg and Inter Pride events, corporate events, workshops and training sessions and events at educational institutions which helps them to spread the message of acceptance. It is their dream that all parents everywhere will accept their children with diverse identities.
Contact details:
Instagram: https://instagram.com/sweekartherainbowparents
FB: Sweekar: the rainbow parents
Email id: [email protected]
AKAM FOUNDATION - Assam
A not-for-profit organisation, it was registered in 2022. ‘Akam’ means equality in the Mising language, spoken by the second largest tribal group in Assam. Equality and justice are the core values that drive Akam Foundation’s activities, which are largely in two focussed initiatives: Project Kitape Katha Koi, a storytelling & community library platform, which was founded in April 2020. And Drishti: A Queer Collective, established in April 2021, which envisions bringing gender justice in Assam, focussing on the LGBTQIA+ community, particularly from rural Assam. People involved in both initiatives came together to create Akam Foundation.
Contact details:
https://akamfoundation.org.in/contact-us/
Website: https://akamfoundation.org.in/home/
NAZ FOUNDATION- Delhi
The Naz Foundation (India) Trust, established in 1994 by Anjali Gopalan, started its work with addressing issues of HIV/ AIDS and sexuality. Naz’s vision is to create a just and equitable society by transforming individuals from socially and economically excluded communities into agents of change.
Contact details:
Address: A 86, East of Kailash, New Delhi 110065
Phone: +91 11 41325042, +91 11 40793157/58
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.nazindia.org/
SAHODARAN-Chennai, Tamil Nadu
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Sahodaran is the first and largest Community Based Organization (CBO) in Chennai run by and for MSM (Men who have Sex with Men). Since 1998, Sahodaran has worked with MSM from low-income backgrounds, combining HIV/AIDS prevention and care services with social support, counselling, and crisis intervention. We envision a world where all sexual minorities can achieve their full potential and safely access their social entitlements, without fear of violence or stigma.
Contact details:
Address: No. 27, New no.75, 3rd St Extn, Railway colony, Aminjikarai, Chennai-600029
Phone number:044-23740486
Mobile number: +91 9841865423
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.sahodaran.org
Instagram: @sahodaran_chennai
SAHODARI FOUNDATION - Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
Founded by transgender rights activist, artist and writer Kalki Subramaniam in 2008, Sahodari Foundation has been the voice for the transgender and gender non-binary community of India. Since 2012, the Foundation has been campaigning for legal recognition of the transgender community.
Contact details:
Location: Pollachi, Coimbatore
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
Website: https://sahodari.org/
THOZHI - Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Thozhi is a registered community-based organization, which has been working for health, rights, education, empowerment and employment of trans women through several intervention programmes since 2012. The organisation has conducted a nationwide HIV intervention programme, PEHCHAN, which was funded and guided by HIV /AIDS India Alliance and SIAAP in Chennai.
Contact details:
Address: No.5, 2nd Floor, Railway Colony, 1st Street, Nelson Manickam Rd, Aminjikarai, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600029
Email: [email protected]
Ph: +91 97899 05006, +91 77084 65100
Website: www.thozhi.org.in
Instagram: @thozhi_chennai
Trans Rights Now Collective
Established in 2012, the Collective works for the welfare of Dalit, adviasi transpeople. It is also working for horizontal reservation for transgender people.
Email: [email protected]
PeriFerry - Bangaluru, Karnataka
ORINAM – LGBTIQA+ support group in Chennai*
Orinam is a 20-year old voluntary collective (started in 2003) engaged in peer support and advocacy, and promoting queer literature and film in Chennai. Orinam.net is their bilingual website (Tamil and English), with information on alternate sexualities and gender identities, and a blog with personal stories and creative writing by community members and allies.
Contact details: [email protected]
Website: http://orinam.net/
TamilNadu LGBTIQ Movement - Chennai , Tamil Nadu
TamilNadu LGBTIQ movement was launched by a group of dynamic youth for the rainbow community and sexual minorities in the state. They have been working with LGBTIQ people in Tamil Nadu for the last few years. The movement aims to give adequate support to LGBT persons and bring related issues and activities to the attention of mainstream society. It emphasises on creating awareness in society regarding LGBT issues and works to empower sexual and gender minorities to work for the cause collectively.
Members of TamilNadu LGBTIQ have participated in national seminars, and consultations held by CBOs and NGOs over the past 10 years. They have also been part of Rainbow Pride marches held across India.
Contact person: Sharan
Address: c/o Sharan, 12A, Sriram Avenue, Thiruninravur, Chennai – 602024
Email: [email protected]
Ph: 7904124919
Website: www.facebook.com/tamilnadulgbtiq/