Crisis Support

Many of us who live our lives as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or intersex find ourselves to be minorities in a society that privileges man-woman relationships and marriages, and harbours strong notions of what constitutes appropriate masculine and feminine bodies and behaviours.

Hence there is a strong need for both peer and professional support to reinforce the truths that

  • Our identities and desires are natural to us and require no justification
  • We are not evil, deviant or ill
  • We are not to be hated, pitied or ‘cured’
  • We are not second-class citizens
  • We have every right to live and love on our own terms
  • We have every right to be respected as members of society.
  • We are not trying to rebel against or reject our families just because we reject their pressure to be what we are not

Some of the issues that we LGBTIQA+ people face include confusion while discovering our sexualities, gender identities or intersex conditions, ostracism from family and society, marriage pressures on those of us who are not inclined to marry partners of the other sex, low-self esteem, depression and suicidal tendencies. If you can relate to any of these problems, we strongly encourage you to find out about peer groups, which could be online or offline groups.  Check out our Groups and Lists page for information on groups or individuals in your area who might be willing to speak with you. You can also contact Orinam directly through our contact page.

Please do NOT consider ending your life under any circumstances – there are many like you who have braved similar circumstances and have emerged stronger and more capable than before. If needed, call a suicide hotline in your area. If your crisis is related to your health issues, check out our Orinam’s  health-care provider directory or  Varta’s locator of queer-friendly health and legal service providers.

If you are a parent or close friend of an individual whom you know to be attracted to members of the same sex, and/or appears to be transgender, please take some time to read the Parents and Family pages of this website. Also check out the community pages of the US-based organization PFLAG.

We do not yet have an organisation specifically for supporting parents: however, individual parents or family members who have come to accept their children as L/G/B/T may be willing to speak with you. Parents meets are held in cities such as Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore. Please contact us if you have any queries in this regard.

TAMIL NADU – COUNSELLORS AND THERAPISTS

  • Magdalene Jeyarathnam, East-West Center for Counselling – contact info@centerforcounselling.org or call +91 98847 00135: Individual therapy, couple therapy, family therapy (all days with appointment) and group therapy (every Saturday 11 am to 1.30 pm)
  • Sneha Suicide Prevention Helpline – please call  +91 44 2464 0050 or +91 44 2464 0060 any time of the day or night, or email help@snehaindia.org
  • Thaddeus Alfonso, Clinical Social Worker, Niraivagam
  • Dr. Hema Tharoor, psychiatrist, link on Practo
  • Dr. Mohanraj, psychiatrist, Tharu Clinic
  • Dr. N. Rangarajan, psychiatrist, Fortis Malar
  • Dr. Suresh Kumar, psychiatrist – Clinic at T Nagar Chennai 600 017. Call +91 44 2432 8979 or 2433 2285
  • Dr. Vijay Nagaswami, psychiatrist – Clinic at Alwarpet/Abhiramapuram Chennai 600018‎. Call +91 44 6518 8866

TAMIL NADU – LGBTI AND ALLY GROUPS WITH PEER COUNSELLING OR PEER SUPPORT

Chennai

  • Orinam (formerly MP/Movenpick): support and resources for LGBT people and their families, awareness-raising on issues of sexuality and gender-identity, cultural programming, and referrals. Contact orinamwebber@gmail.com or leave a text message at +91 98415 57983 or message us on our Facebook page. A monthly confidential peer-facilitated support group held on one (typically third) Sunday a month has been functioning since 2017.
  • Chennai Queer Cafe: peer support and social space for queer women, trans men and others assigned female at birth.
  • LBTW Chennai: Lesbian, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual women in Chennai.  Exclusively for people with she/they pronouns per Facebook http://www.facebook.com/groups/lbtw.chennai
  • Nirangal – crisis support for sexual minorities (men, women or transgender people). Call  +91 98406 99776
  • Sahodaran – Kothis, DDs and other MSM in Chennai (offline group, offering HIV prevention and drop-in services). Contact sahodaranchennai@gmail.com, call +91 44 2374 0486 from 11am to 6 pm – Monday to Friday, or reach Jaya at +91 98418 65423
  • Social Welfare Association for Men – Kothis, DDs and other MSM/TG in Chennai (offline group, offering HIV prevention and drop-in services). Contact sekar_swam@rediffmail.com or call +91 44 2374 0486  from 11am to 6 pm – Monday to Friday, or +91 98403 37656

SHELTER FOR WOMEN IN CHENNAI

International Foundation for Crime Prevention and Victim Care (PCVC) in Chennai has a shelter for women fleeing their homes because of violence from parents, siblings or intimate partners. Women who are being, or have been, coerced into marriage, including lesbian, bisexual and other queer women, could also get in touch with the PCVC helpline at +91 – 44 – 43111143 or online at http://www.pcvconline.org/contact.htm

Coimbatore

  • Queerbatore: An informal social and support group, Queerbatore, has been in existence since 2015. To reach its volunteers and join the WhatsApp group, send mail to orinam.net@gmail.com with ‘Queerbatore’ in the subject list.

KERALA

  • Sahayatrika Helpline (Kerala) for lesbian, bisexual women and transgender people.
    Call on Thursday, Friday, Saturday between 4 pm – 7 pm, phone +91-9744955866 and email sahayatrika@gmail.com

KARNATAKA

  • Good As You, Bangalore
    Good As You is a social and intellectual space for LesBiGay (lesbian, bisexuals, gays and other sexual minorities) people. Among other activities, it helps foster positive and realistic views of Indian LesBiGay relationships and provides counseling/support/friendship to those who ask for it.
    080-2223-0959 or visit www.facebook.com/GoodasyouBlr
  • LesBiT, Bangalore
    Telephone helpline works for two days in a week: Saturdays (11.30 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and Sundays (11.30 a.m. to 6 p.m.) for lesbian and bisexual women, and female-to-male transgender individuals.
    080-23439124.
  • InnerSight Counselling & Training Center, Bangalore
    InnerSight is guided by the philosophy that every individual has the innate ability to handle life’s challenges on their own, but at times finding and recognizing this ability can become a challenge – especially in the face of stressful situations. It offers counselling services that are sensitive to the issues and concerns of LGBT people
    http://www.innersight.in/
    Phone: +91-80-41649080 Mobile: +91-96114 05684  Email: counsellors@innersight.in
  • Sahaya Help Line, Bangalore
    Operates:
    Only on Tuesdays and Fridays, between 7p.m. and 9.00p.m.
    Contact: 080-223 0959
    Email: sahayabangalore@hotmail.com
  • Sangama, Bangalore
    Non-profit group that works for the upliftment of sexual minorities.
    Contact at 9945601651/52 9945601653/54 9945231493

WEST BENGAL

  • Sappho Helpline +91 98315 18320 (10 am – 9 pm) for anyone from the LGBTIQ community, friends and families, who is seeking help. In addition to the helpline, SFE functions as a support group for lesbians, bi women and transmen.
  • SAATHII information line for LGBT and sexual health issues: info@saathii.org
    Phones Kolkata: 033 2484 4841 (Mon, Wed, Fri; 12-5 pm)

MAHARASHTRA

  • Umang: support group in Mumbai, and helpline for lesbians, bi women and ftm/transmen. +91 22 2667 380

NEW DELHI

  • Sangini helpline for lesbian, bisexual, trans and questioning women
    Call 011-55676450 Tuesdays 12 pm to 3pm and Fridays 6pm to 8pm.

ODISHA

  • SAATHII information line for LGBT and sexual health issues: info@saathii.org
    Bhubaneswar: 0674 657 1222 (Mon, Wed, Fri; 12-5 pm)

Also check out Varta’s locator of queer-friendly legal services and health care providers.