LGBTQ Support Groups To Bookmark This Pride Month

Gaysi Family is a website that caters to the LGBT community from the South Asian subcontinent. Their motto is to engage with the desi LGBT community in as many ways as possible. Their online forum and space, now caters to desis across the world, providing them up with content, like Gaysi Zines (print magazine bringing and publishing stories of the gay community), and events too.

Contact them at gaysifamily@gmail.com or hit them up on Instagram or their website

This is a Mumbai-based group that is part of the bigger Queer Azaadi group, and organises activities too. They host Acceptance Meet events, taboo talks and more interesting events for the queer community. Connect with them via their Facebook community.

Yaariyan is the voluntary youth initiative of the Humsafar Trust – for encouraging and supporting young LGBTQ voices to come forward and get involved with everything that’s current and new. 

They regularly organise activities (in the past they’ve hosted self-defence classes as well) for the out and proud – but also offer a safe space for anyone who wants to come in for counselling and acceptance meetings. We hear every 15 August, there’s an annual meet that’s organised called the ‘acceptance meet’.

#LBBTip: Yaariyan has the credit of organising the first-ever queer-themed flashmob in the country.  Keep yourself updated by writing to Yaariyan at yaariyan.hst@gmail.com

Follow the Humsafar Trust here.

Queer Azaadi Mumbai (QAM) is the group that organises the Queer Azaadi Mumbai Pride parade annually. Their first march was organised in the year 2008 which witnessed approximately 500 participants. The members of the QAM meet up and prepare for the D-Day. They organise flash mobs, film screenings, drag shows, street performances, carnival – in the lead up to the event. We hear anyone is welcome to volunteer with them by contacting them at qam.editorial@gmail.com.

Follow them here, and on Facebook here.

Founded in 1999, Gay Bombay in an online community that offers, support, counselling and even organises offline parties around the city for the gay community. From organising parties to film screening, this social organisation organises various events for the LGBTQ community. 

Follow them here.

LABIA, which formerly was known as Stree Sangam, is a Mumbai-based voluntary collective of lesbian and bisexual women and transpersons, with their focus on delving deep into the queer and feminist activism by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).

Their collective aim is to discuss the rights of the women and queer community – not just restricted to the national issues but international as well. They network with like-minded people and organise meet up groups for the same.

Contact them at labia.collective@gmail.com. They are active on Twitter and you can follow them here.

Umang is another initiative by the Humsafar Trust for Lesbians and Transgender women (LBT). They provide services including mental health counselling, workshops, social events, get-togethers (called Chill Out), legal support and community support for Lesbian, bisexual and transpersons.  

As per experts, the LBT women often have it worse. The kind of societal construct that is created for a woman in general is especially hard to break through, and if you’re a lesbian, bisexual or even a transgender woman in India. To offer wholesome support and encouragement to the LBT women, Umang was set up. They have a helpline that one can call on anytime, and reach out to.

You could visit their FB Page here or write to them at umanglgbt@gmail.com.

Started off as an initiative by ex Humsafarite, activist Pallav Patankar, this online group aims at creating political discussions in the queer space, the stand and possibilities for the Queer community in India. 

You could visit the FB page of Queer and Political here

This is a photography group that provides a platform for amateur and accomplished photographers. This group helps cover queer related events in the city and also regularly organise events like competitions and discussions on photography.

Especially for you if you are photography enthusiast and queer, you could visit their page here  or write to qgraphygroup@gmail.com.

This is a venture by Mumbai-based activist - Harish Iyer, Praful Baweja and Sushil - which aims at creating a professional space and a network amongst the LGBTQ community. 6Degrees organizes events where members of the community can network, recruit, looking out for jobs, share ideas or even hone new skills. These events are a great platform for community members to participate in discussions, network, or just unwind and have some fun!

Sweekar is an LGBTQ support group, for the parents, by the parents. It is a support group formed by a group of parents that aims at educating parents about sexual orientation of their child, and how to deal with it. It promotes celebrating and cherishing their children’s sexuality and aims to support parents as they learn to understand their child’s orientation, and clear their confusion around it.

Follow them here.

Tongue Twister basically creates a safe party and networking space for LBT women. Believing in the fact that everyone should have the freedom to love and express themselves regardless of their sexual orientation, TT provides a platform to individuals, organisations, businesses and professionals to identify themselves as advocates of a more inclusive and loving society. 

Their mission is to fight the fear, ignorance and prejudice of society and overcome these barriers by bringing the open-minded segments of the society together. This space will give people the freedom to express love, support and affection without the fear of being judged by others. Let the freedom to love prevail!

If you are from the LBT (Lesbian, Bi-Sexual, Transgender) community or you just believe that LGBT people deserve equal rights to express love like any other person, like their Facebook Page and stay tuned for more updates from them.

Here's a link to their Facebook page.