Groups and Lists

Here is a list of LGBTIQA+-friendly resources including counselors, community groups, websites, and mailing lists for LGBTIQA+ communities of Indian or South Asian origin. Please note that this page is an attempt to aggregate potentially useful resources, and inclusion of an organization or list on this website does not constitute an endorsement of its services.

LGBT-friendly Counselors, Therapists, Psychiatrists and Helplines in Chennai

  • Magdalene Jeyarathnam, Center for Counselling – provides individual and group counselling services that are LGBT affirmative, offers training to counsellors and other mental health professionals on sexuality issues, among other program areas. Contact info@centerforcounselling.org or call +91 98847 00135
  • 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
  • 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
  • A more comprehensive version of this list is on the page LGBTIQA+ friendly healthcare providers.
For crisis support and helplines around the country, also check out our Crisis support page.

Organizations and Collectives in Chennai (LGBTIQA+-specific or LGBTIQA+ inclusive)

  • 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
  • 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. While there is no WhatsApp group for Orinam, there is a FB group (secret) and page, and a closed mailing list. A sub-group of Orinam for trans, non-binary and gender-questioning people runs on WhatsApp, and is called Gender Euphoria. To learn about this, please contact orinamwebber@gmail.com
  • 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
  • Solidarity and Action Against The HIV Infection in India (SAATHII) – HIV/AIDS non-profit agency that provides capacity building to healthcare providers, government programs, other NGOs and community groups on HIV technical issues, gender and sexuality. Contact +91 44 2817 3948.
  • South India AIDS Action Programme (SIAAP) – HIV/AIDS non-profit agency that work towards appropriate responses for a socially safer environment for people affected by/vulnerable to HIV such as Men who have Sex with Men, Women Selling Sex,  and People Living with HIV and AIDS. Contact at info@siaapindia.org or call +91 44 5539 8050 / 2452 2285 / 2452 3301
  • Tamil Nadu LGBTIQ – Young and dynamic youth led group provides support to LGBT+ persons but also brings related issues and activities to the attention of the mainstream society. The community emphasises on creating awareness in society regarding LGBT+ issues, and focuses on homosexuality which is a taboo topic. http://www.tamilnadulgbtiq.in/
  • Magizhvan Foundation is a non-profit community welfare organization, founded in 2019.
  • Tamil Nadu Rainbow Coalition – informal collective of organizations and individuals who organize state-wide solidarity events and Chennai Pride. Contact via Orinam.net Contact page

Organizations and Collectives elsewhere in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry  (LGBT-specific or LGBT-inclusive)

  • Lotus Sangam – Kumbakonam, Tanjavur District:   an organization committed to securing the equal rights of men who are systematically discriminated against and excluded on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender identity through running local, community-driven interventions. Contact muthukumar.news@gmail.com or +91 80988 11649
  • Queerbatore – WhatsApp group and offline collective for LGBTIQA+ people from Coimbatore, initiated by Orinam in Dec 2015. To join send a message to orinam.net@gmail.com with the subject line ‘Queerbatore’.
  • Sahodaran Community Oriented Health Development Society (SCOHD): Group for MSM and transwomen in Puducherry. Contact sahodaran_pondy@yahoo.com.
  • Vanavil Foundation – an organization for transgender people. Contact Manu at  +91 97890 23157 or email vanaviltg@gmail.com
  • SIAAP Sangams – South India AIDS Action Programme has established community-based groups of MSM to promote health and human rights in several districts of Tamil Nadu including Tirunelveli, Krishnagiri, Salem, Nagapattinam, Nagercoil, Nammakal, Erode and Virudhunagar. Please contact them by calling SIAAP at +91 44 5539 8050 / 2452 2285 / 2452 3301 or emailing info@siaapindia.org

Organizations and Collectives beyond Tamil Nadu and Puducherry

Check out the resource pages of Infosem, Sangama, Trikone, Global Queer Desi, Harmless hugs and IndianDost. Please bring outdated links to our notice.

Groups on college and university campuses

Click here for Orinam’s catalogue of groups that exist in college campuses in India. Bear in mind that not all are necessarily registered with the institutions, but may function as informal collectives

Mailing lists, websites, Facebook, and WhatsApp groups

  • Asexual Indians – Indian Asexual Community, also see FB group and dating group
  • Ace Bengaluru – Asexual community in Bengaluru.
  • Desi Dykes – the first mailing list for lesbian and bisexual South Asian women world-wide (founded in the 1990s)
  • Gay Bombay – List and website for gay men in Mumbai
  • GaysiFamily.com – website for LGBT people of Indian origin worldwide
  • Gender Euphoria – WhatsApp group for trans, non-binary and gender-questioning folks of Orinam.
  • Good as You– List for LGBT people from Bangalore
  • Grace Without Measure – Mailing list for gay Christians in and around Chennai [no longer in existence]
  • Harmless Hugs – Queer support group for the community in Delhi and Kolkata
  • Khush-list – first mailing list for LGBT people of South Asian origin worldwide, started 1992
  • Kolkata Rainbow Pride Festival Family – Closed Facebook group for Kolkata’s queer/trans* community.
  • Lesbian India – mailing list for lesbians in India and of Indian origin
  • LGBT-India – Started in 1999, one of the first mailing lists for LGBT people in India
  • Movenpick /Orinam– list for LGBT people from Chennai (associated with the Orinam group and website ) After yahoogroups shut down this has been migrated to googlegroups.
  • Prathibimb – list for LGBT people from Hyderabad
  • Quest/Prayatna – Pune based LGBT space (Online/Offline)
  • Raahi – Bengaluru-based group and crisis-support for trans(especially transmasculine) persons, as well as lesbian, bi and other queer women. Helpline +91 97397 80319.
  • RIOV – mailing list for Chennai lesbians and bi women
  • Sampoorna – mailing list for transpeople (MtF, Ftm and others) in India. Contact via blog at https://sampoornaindiablog.wordpress.com/contact/
  • Transgender India – website with useful transgender resources
  • Transmen Collective – national collective and associated FB page for trans men.
  • Transgender sisters – mailing list for MtF transwomen, hijras and aravanis