DU student to develop support app for the LGBT community
We talk to Aman Valecha, a student from DU who is developing a support app for the LGBT community with the help of his boyfriend Shashank Singh.
The 9th Delhi Queer Pride Parade that took place this Sunday, had its fair share of inspiration. One such story is that of Aman Valecha (name changed on request). Valecha is a DU student from a town near Meerut, who is developing an app for the LGBT community. The 19-year-old, who is gay, ran away from his house to pursue education and is developing an app to provide a support group for individuals of the LGBT community, who are closeted because of the fear of intimidation.
“Anyone can offer words of support, but our app will provide logistical support to LGBT people. If any member of our community feels threatened by their surrounding, we will provide them the support they need to step out of that place and start afresh. We will give them accommodation, food and anything else they need,” says Shashank Singh, a second year engineering student and Valecha’s boyfriend, who is helping him develop the app.
The app will have a SOS button that a member can press to alert others in the group if he or she is in trouble. The app will send the location of the member to others in the group. “The app is almost complete and should be out by January next year. I have faced many issues throughout my life, and I will not let that happen with anyone else,” he says. Though Valecha has found support in Singh’s parents, but says that society has forced them into hiding within the bodies of straight men.
