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Three weeks ago, a young boy’s story went viral on popular Facebook page ‘Humans of Bombay’. Taking to social media, he spoke about the difficulties he faced after coming out to his family and the brave decision to move out of his hometown and come to Mumbai.
The post ended with this message:
“The LGBT community, needs our support now more than ever. Everyday, there’s a new case of hate crimes against them, and we need to show more love towards them. To enable this, an app called Delta is being developed — it’s India’s FIRST homegrown LGBT community, networking and support app. It’s aim is to address these challenges by bringing the LGBT community in India together. It’s a safe environment, where they can finally just…be.”
Delta came into being when Sachin Bhatia, the founder of Trulymadly, a dating app in India, set up a meeting with Ishaan Sethi, a Delhiite who is part of the LGBTQ community. Sachin told Ishaan that numerous people had approached him with the concept of a targeted app for the LGBTQ community and he wanted to make it a reality. The duo then teamed up to design this safe space for members because the queer community in India remains extremely marginalised. Mentors, regularly updated FAQs, counsellors and a general sense of community, with zero tolerance for bullying and teasing - the app is geared to provide support.
The intent behind the app is threefold - the first is to meet people in a secure manner (the app ensures the authenticity of its users and employs hefty security mechanisms), the second is to create an online and offline community for members and foster a sense of belongingness, and the third is to build the support and resources required to maintain close links with professionals that include legal aid experts, therapists and friendly faces. Having raised money through a crowdfunding platform, the creation of the app is underway and will soon be going live. The larger picture here is to address key issues relevant to the community and create awareness – especially in smaller cities.
Sethi, an alumnus of Brown University revealed that he only returned to India to create a pro-queer collective that could channel the negativity into drive. He said, “Rates of queer youth suicides have skyrocketed over the last few years; a predominant reason for the same has been bullying and feeling isolated. An app like Delta will allow users to find a community of peers and mentors”.
Considering that the archaic Section 377 still exists in India, the first worry one may have is the safety of the people that sign on for the app – would it make it easier for authorities to target them? We’re unsure of how exactly the app works at the moment in terms of privacy and data protection, but can be pretty certain these key concerns of the community will be kept in mind by the developers.
Join the waitlist to know when the app will be live in your city.
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