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Parents of LGBTQ offer online support

The group named Sweekar — The Rainbow Parents was formed with the help of a parent support group and an LGBTQ activist.

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Sweekar: The Rainbow Parents group
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Parents of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) children have come together to offer support to other parents. The group named Sweekar — The Rainbow Parents was formed with the help of a parent support group and an LGBTQ activist.

The second meeting of the support group saw the participation of 14 parents who discussed issues and activities to support their children. The group aims to become the central point for networking, advocacy and outreach for parents of LGBTQ children.

While members of the support group are using platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook to reach out to other parents, at the meeting they also discussed participating in the Pride March in February 2018.

Aruna Desai, a member of the group, said, "We have around 22 members on the WhatsApp group and are trying to connect with other parents through social media. There are few parents who are not active on Facebook because of which we try to share and discuss on WhatsApp. The group discussed taking up topics such as health issues and depression to name a few. We will also be participating in the upcoming Pride March to support our children wholeheartedly."

The meeting was facilitated by Solaris Pictures as part of its outreach activity for the feature film Evening Shadows (Surmaee Shaam) directed by Sridhar Rangayan.

Tinesh Chopade, assistant programme manager, The Humsafar Trust, said, "We get calls raising health concerns and mental health issues. While we do not have a helpline number, people call up during time of crisis or emergency situations like violence. People who haven't opened up to society about their sexuality also call for advice."

Helping hand

The Humsafar Trust works for causes related to the LGBTQ community and can be reached on 022-26673800.
A 24x7 helpline number for the community, which was started a few years ago, was closed down due to a lack of funding.

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