Pride month: Best LGBTQIA Instagram accounts to follow

Updated on: Jun 1, 2019, 23:04:05 IST

Hindustan Times | By Samreen Tungekar

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Five Instagram accounts to follow and celebrate Pride Month

Here are five inspiring Indian accounts that promote love and acceptance

1. @thequeermuslimproject (9.3K followers)

For LGBTQ+ rights and issues of Muslims

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"Growing up as a lesbian Muslim of Pakistani descent, it was a roller coaster ride for me. When I was 7, my father became President of the local Islamic Society and I knew I was going to face hardship. I was judged by family members, emotionally blackmailed by them and soon found myself undergoing depression and anxiety. Being the only child was hard for me. It took me a very long time to accept myself. At the age of 25, I moved out but still found myself in a blocked mental state. I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do in life. I was worried about what people thought of me. All I wanted was for my parents to love me. Then one day, I attended a retreat in California, where things changed for me drastically. I learnt that I wasn’t alone. Months after the retreat, I created a community for LGBTQ+ Muslims, who are faced with unique challenges due to their cultural, linguistic and religious identities called Iftikhar Community. I also run a podcast called Emmie Time, where I rant or give my opinions on important issues." (Emmie, She/Her) . . . #queermuslims #queermuslimsunplugged #lgbt #muslim #lesbian #lesbianofinstagram #lesbianquotes #lesbianmuslim #fridayquotes #fridaymood #weekendvibes #instagrammers #comingout #comingoutstory #family #islam #faith #sexuality #depression #anxiety #selfacceptance #community #podcast #queer #mentalhealth

A post shared by The Queer Muslim Project (@thequeermuslimproject) on Apr 19, 2019 at 6:35am PDT

The Queer Muslim Project was started in 2017 to advocate equal representation and inclusiveness for queer Muslims. It carries personal accounts of queer Muslims across India and South Asia about how they navigate through culture and identity.

2. @Yaariyan_lgbtq (1.9K followers)

To provide mental health support, finance tips and counter hate

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My family of choice are my parents. They are supportive and love me unconditionally. I have my close friends, but I will always choose them. ~ Dhruv Ambegaokar @ambezingxsufjan We all have our families of choice. It's time to celebrate them. The Acceptance Meet 15th August, 2018 3:00pm to 7:30pm P.C. Saxena Auditorium, IIT Powai #TheAcceptanceMeet #tam2018 #FamiliesOfChoice18

A post shared by Yaariyan (@yaariyan_lgbtq) on Aug 11, 2018 at 1:01am PDT

Yaariyan is a group of young, positive people who actively work at organising events, healthcare seminars, workshops and other community-driven projects.

3. @Amra.odbhuth (1.2K followers)

A pop-up café for the queer by the queer

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Our tiny drop in library is up and functioning till we start the cafe fulltime (soon!). Please drop by and suggest queer books/authors that you'd like us to source as well. 💜

A post shared by Amra Odbhuth Queer Café (@amra.odbhuth) on Mar 25, 2019 at 5:01am PDT

Amra Odbhuth, meaning we are queer, is a café and community space in Kolkata for interactive dialogue, exchange of ideas, events and interactions between people. The inclusivity of a space like this can be heartening.

4. @Queerkala (675 followers)

To provide a platform for artists from the community

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Happy Women's Day #queerkala #womensday #happywomensday #celebration #equality #freedom #rainbow #womens #gender #genderequality #beingme #beingmyself #togetherness #mumbai #instapic #instagramer Picture clicked by @qgraphy_group

A post shared by QueerKala (@queerkala) on Mar 7, 2017 at 9:57pm PST

A colourful and positive account, QueerKala promotes queer artists who have the talent and need a platform to put out their artwork. Talk about rainbow colours!

5. @pinklistindia (4.2K followers)

India’s first list of politicians who support LGBTQ+ rights

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A post shared by The Pink List India (@pinklistindia) on May 23, 2019 at 8:27pm PDT

The Pink List India is a list of politicians who support gay rights, and have contested the general elections this year. The Pink List has been an inspiring space to make people aware of what the country is really thinking post decriminalisation of Section 377.

Wondering what this ever-expanding acronym stands for? At the time of going to press, here’s what Oxford Dictionary said…

LGBTQIA are initials that stand for Lesbian, gay, bisexual,transgender, queer (or questioning), intersex, and asexual (or allies).

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Samreen Tungekar
Samreen Tungekar is a content producer with HT Brunch. She writes on fashion, lifestyle and all things that come with a hashtag.

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