Being called as Manchestar of India by BBC (2014), Punjab severely lacks places that support and aid LGBTQIA+ community. At Least this is what I found after talking to some of the members of LBTQIA+ community of Punjab. You must be thinking about Dhanjay Chauhan and her work there, so let me tell you that they are working primarily in Chandigarh and as you know Chandigarh in itself has a very distinct identity as compared to both Punjab and Haryana. And even if they are working in the other regions of Punjab, just one trust is not enough because of the constraints in resources. Earlier there was a foundation named, Mansa foundation in Ludhiana, but they have been inactive on social media since 2020, so, I don’t know if they are active on ground. (P.S. if you know about this, do let me know in the comment section, so that I can update the information here as well.)
Despite having very less LGBTQIA+ hangout spots, Punjab saw its first same-sex ‘marriage’ in 2017, even before the scrapping of section 377 in 2018, which proves that Punjab has a very vibrant and gutsy LGBTQIA+ community there. And may be because of this very reason they don’t feel the need for having separate places for themselves (but this only a Punjabi LGBTQIA+ member can tell).
There are a few hotels for Gay Travelers in Amritsar; those being: SureStay Heritage Walk, Siddharth BnB, Hotel Heaven View, Vrinda Apartments and Hotel City Park.
There are a few instagram handles too with whom you can connect to know more about the LGBTQIA+ places in Punjab and I am sure that you will get to know more about the places as sometimes things are better hidden than being in the spotlight. These handles are : punjab_lgbtqi , prideamritsar (P.S. do let me know if you know more about such accounts).
Punjab had its first pride parade (outside of Chandigarh) in Amritsar in 2019 which was phenomenal and since then the pride is being held every year there. I truly hope that with time, Punjab sees a increase in number in the LGBTQIA+ places so that no one has to go at great lengths to just find a single spot where they can openly hangout with the rest of community members. But until then if you want to meet other LGBTQIA+ folks from Punjab and get to know them, you must try FirstContact.LGBT, a metaverse for LGBTQIA+ folks and allies to talk, work and grow together both professionally and personally. You can be assured of the safety here since not everyone who applies to be a member becomes a member here.
You need to get through a verification process that ensures safety of the other members already present in the metaverse. Join the platform and maybe the next Pride Parade you attend in Punjab, you would do that with friends whom you have met on this platform.
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