Good As You Explained

Good As You
Type:Self-funded support group
Founded Date:1997
Founder:LGBT rights activists from Bangalore
Location:Bangalore, India
Origins:Bangalore, India
Area Served:India
Focus:Equal rights for sexual and gender minorities in India
Method:Using support groups, discussions, etc
Revenue:Self funded
Homepage:http://www.oocities.org/goodasyoubangalore

Good As You is a support and social group for LGBT people and others questioning their gender and sexuality in Bangalore. It started in 1994 and is one of the longest surviving groups that advocates equal rights for homosexuals and other gender and sexual minorities in Bangalore.[1] [2]

History

In 1994, a few LGBT rights activists gathered at a local restaurant and decided to have a discussion forum for the sexual minorities at Bangalore. [3] Within a week, it was decided that the group name would be Good As You, and meetings started taking place weekly.[4] Samraksha, an AIDS counselling center, provided their office space for the meetups.[5]

Currently the weekly meetups happen at Swabhava office. Since Covid-19 Pandemic, the meetings happen both online and offline.[6] [7] [8]

Activities

  1. Good As You is patron to an LGBT newsletter called Sangha Mitra (now Sangamithra, ಸಂಗಮಿತ್ರ) which is published from Bangalore.[9] 9 issues have been printed so far since 1998. A new edition marking the 30th Anniversary of the Group is in the offing with the theme 'An Ode to the Past, a Nod to the Future!' 'ನೆನ್ನೆಯ ನೆನೆಯುತ್ತ ನಾಳಿನತ್ತ ನಡಿಗೆ’.
  2. Good As You helped students of National Law School of India, University to organise the country's first Gay Rights Seminar in 1997.
  3. Good As You also co-sponsored "Emerging Gay Spaces in Bangalore" (a bi-lingual public lecture in English and Kannada, co-sponsored with Sabrang) in 1998.
  4. Various picnics and social meetings have been organised by members of Good As You on different occasions bringing the community closer together.[10]
  5. 30 November 2000. Presentation by Dr. Shekhar Seshadri on child abuse.
  6. 17 December 2000. Manish leads the first bakery workshop.
  7. July 1, 2001, Good As You members took part in the public meeting 'Breaking the Silence: Sexuality Minorities Speak Out', organised by the Coalition for Sexuality Minority Rights.
  8. Bangalore Queer Film Festival : The annual queer film festival in Bangalore that happens in Feb every year was initially organized by Vinay Chandran with Good As You along with other collectives in the city. [11] [12]
  9. Queer friendly poetry readings at Urban Solace on Tuesday nights
  10. Queer Bowling League: Wednesdays 8.30pm at Amoeba, Church Street
  11. Good As You meetings: Thursdays 7pm-9pm at Swabhava. They discuss various topics that effect Queer people in India, from Sec.377 to cultural prejudice against unmarried people.[13]
  12. Pink Divas dance workshops: Swabhava on Friday evenings
  13. "Married & Queer" sub-group of Goodasyou has queer people entangled in heterosexual marriages.
  14. Film screenings at Swabhava every Saturday 6PM onwards.[14]
  15. Gay Runners & Brunch: Sundays Cubbon Park 9:30; Airlines 10:30 - 12:30
  16. In June/July 2015, Members of Goodasyou organized free hugs and missed call campaigns[15]

Support

Good As You provides mental health, legal and moral support. The space has also ground for creations of many other groups including Queer Campus and Queer Reads Bangalore. [16]

Counselling is provided for LGBT people and other sexual minorities as well as HIV infected people.[17]

See also

References

  1. News: As good as it can get. The Hindu. 13 April 2011. 19 July 2014. Chandran. Vinay.
  2. News: Peter . Jeff . LGBT Culture in Bangalore . 23 May 2023.
  3. Web site: Pravallika: A transgender's death is not sexy enough for us . 2024-07-08 . www.dailyo.in . en.
  4. News: 2018-09-07 . Bengaluru has always been at the forefront of LGBTQ rights . 2024-07-08 . The Times of India . 0971-8257.
  5. Web site: About Us page of Good As You. oocities.org/goodasyoubangalore. 19 July 2014.
  6. Web site: Niranjan . Spoorthi . 2024-02-20 . Pride And The City: Creating Queer Third Spaces In Bengaluru . 2024-07-08 . Feminism in India . en-GB.
  7. Web site: Mohandas . Poornima . May 22, 2008 . It might be illegal and disputed but Bangalore embraces its gays . July 8, 2024 . Live Mint.
  8. Web site: Maya The Drag Queen Talks About 5 LGBTQAI+ Pro Collectives LBB . 2024-07-08 . LBB, Bangalore . en.
  9. Web site: Dore . Bhavya . 2015-11-08 . For LGBT community, the internet can't quite replace magazine culture . 2024-07-08 . Scroll.in . en.
  10. Web site: Ramani . Priya . November 7, 2015 . A guide to talking to your parents . July 8, 2024 . Live Mint.
  11. Web site: archive . From our online . 2012-05-16 . Keeping it short but potent . 2024-07-08 . The New Indian Express . en.
  12. Web site: Staff . T. N. M. . 2016-02-24 . Bangalore Queer Film Festival: Here's the full list of movies that will be screened . 2024-07-08 . The News Minute . en.
  13. Web site: Good as You Bangalore. goodasyoublr.blogspot.in. en. 2019-06-05.
  14. http://goodasyoublr.blogspot.in/2014/11/goodasyou-support-group-counselors.html
  15. Web site: QueerCollectiveIndia. queercollectiveindia.blogspot.in. en. 2019-06-05.
  16. Web site: Niranjan . Spoorthi . 2024-02-20 . Pride And The City: Creating Queer Third Spaces In Bengaluru . 2024-07-08 . Feminism in India . en-GB.
  17. Web site: Good as You Bangalore. goodasyoublr.blogspot.in. en. 2019-06-05.

External links