You’ve got a dost

Stigma shame and guilt are regular intruders in LGBTQiA lives Having friends or colleagues who donrsquot understand them or having parents who donrsquot accept them can be isolating and detrimental to their mental health In the glamorous economy of queer politics and entertainment these stories often remain invisible and ignoredThen again Anjali Gopalan has seen and heard them all She has connected each stop and story by weaving in her own experiences from establishing the Naz Foundation India Trust in 1994 to providing counselling care and support services to the LGBTQiA community This has also included creating ecosystems such as a care home for orphans living with HIV and AIDS economic empowerment initiatives for youth from marginalised communities and sensitisation and training sessions in educational institutions and with the police corporates and embassies With a focus on advocacy the Naz Foundation also successfully challenged the archaic law under the Indian Penal Code under Section 377 which criminalised homosexuality in 2018Vivek Sahni chairman and founder Kama AyurvedaThe Naz Dost Helpline adds a new layer of care ldquoThe programme had been functional but it was formally launched in 2018 Our team of counsellors provide freeofcost support and counselling for not just the community but also their families who wish to educate themselves on sexual identity and gender orientation while maintaining confidentialityrdquo the foundationrsquos executive director Gopalan explains Calls range from confusion about onersquos sexual orientation fears about coming out to more complicated issues about ldquobotchedup surgeriesrdquo and dealing with familial violence and depressionAfter the reading down of Section 377 Gopalan says they received a lot of ldquointerestingrdquo calls from people who assumed that they now had access to rights like marriage ldquoOh now I can marry my partnerrdquo The Coronavirus lockdown provoked a mental health crisis among the LGBTQiA community Gopalan says with many young people who had no choice but to go back in the closet and live with families finding themselves in fairly violent situations Loneliness was inevitable and the helpline became a ldquodostrdquo they could turn toCreating a safe space that supports mental wellbeing however requires practical sustenance ldquoWe tend to forget that the provider also needs a lot of support to keep it going nordquo smiles Gopalan Launching officially on June 19 the Naz Dost Helpline will be powered by Kama Ayurveda a luxury beauty and wellness brand Gopalan argues that therersquos a huge gap between the need for emotional support helplines and what is currently on offer with greater emphasis on services that are available in local languages ldquoIt is critical that everybody feels included and this limitation language is a real deterrent to gain access to a wide demographicmdashwhich is why this collaboration is helpful for usrdquo Gopalan saysldquoKindness is one of the fundamental values that defines our brandrdquo Vivek Sahni chairmanfounder at Kama Ayurveda says ldquoOver the past few years we have supported the LGBTQiA community by associating with NGOs and have even donated a percentage of our sales But this year we wanted to make a longterm impact on the community and decided to extend support by powering the association with the Naz Dost Helplinerdquo The intersection between mainstream brands and the LGBTQiA community has not always been an easy one But there is a specific type of collective mindset at work here with this synergy promising real action and change Not only does this empower Naz to ensure that their helpline number and details reaches the brandrsquos 63 standalone outlets and 93 retail touchpoints across the country they will also benefit from its social media reach of 314K followersFunding which is part of this alliance will enable Naz to look at increasing its counselling staff from its current four members to ldquoperhaps 10rdquo provide professional training to interns and volunteers and extend helpline timings from 10 am to ldquopossibly 7 pmrdquo presently it is 4 pm ldquoI am hoping that this helpline in its expanded version would help us engage with people who we otherwise did not have the resources to reach Fingers crossedrdquoCall the Naz Dost Helpline on 91 8800329176 Mon to Sat for Legal referrals HIVAIDS counselling mental health support help in handling workplace harassment challenges of coming out counsel for queer individuals who find themselves in a heterosexual marriage aid in discovering your gender identity and moving towards selfacceptance family counselling and sex education