A safe space for Hyderabad’s QT centre for the queer and trans community

Queer-Trans Wellness & Support Center in Hyderabad provides a safe haven for LGBTQIA+ community with mental health, legal aid, and more.

Even six years after the Supreme Court passed its landmark judgement decriminalising homosexuality, the queer community continues to suffer physical and emotional violence and systemic discrimination in both the private and public spheres. As homophobia and stigma prevail,the queer community laments the inability to ‘be themselves’ in the spaces they occupy.  

The Queer-Trans Wellness & Support Center (QT Center), a first-of-its-kind resource centre, was started in April 2023, in Habsiguda, Hyderabad – to provide an open and freeing space for the LGBTQIA+ community to exist, unapologetically. 

Speaking to The Hindu, Tashi Choedup, a core team member of the centre and a long-time queer-rights activist, says: “The idea for QT Center emerged in the middle of the pandemic when everything was shut down and many queer and trans people were stuck in their natal homes, which is often breeding groundfor violence. They did not have a place to feel safe or experience some form of community. Thus, we wanted to offer them a space where they can rest, interact with others, form friendships, dress however they want, participate in workshops, take initiative to conduct workshops, and ultimately feel continued support.”

Run by Yugantar, a 43-year-old city-based NGO, the centre is open through Wednesday-Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm. The members of the community are encouraged to simply walk in and participate in the many activities such as workshops, events, talks, film screenings, community dinners, dances and potluck which are hosted all week long. Visitors can also drop in to study or work by themselves, or even simply rest for as long as they want inside the centre. It is equipped with a kitchen, food, WiFi, library, garden, television, and other facilities. Some of the main events include Queer Up, Queer Book Club, Queer Translation Project, and Dinner with QTies, among others.

In terms of tangible support to vulnerable members of the community, QT Center offers free-for-all mental health services through group therapy or one-on-one counselling sessions in association with Pause For Perspective. They also host mental health support groups for asexual and aromantic people, for queer and trans people above the age of 30, for trans-masculine identities, etc. “We use theatre, movement, reading, films, and various mediums to engage with people – to process one’s emotions and how to regulate depression or anxiety,” says Tashi.

Teja (26), who identifies within the asexual and aromantic spectrum, began visiting the centre in October last year, and says that he hadn’t come across a similar support group elsewhere. “QT Center is the first place where I felt seen and heard. I started therapy for the first time through QT Center and Pause For Perspective as it comprises a safe and reliable network of people,” he says.   

The centre also offers pro-bono legal counsel and support in collaboration with the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) Telangana. “One lawyer from the DLSA comes here every Saturday and provides legal aid to queer and trans people who are facing domestic violence, medical abuse, property issues, workplace harassment, rental issues, etc.,” informs Priyanka, the centre manager.