About Us
DeQH is the first and only national Desi lgbtQ+ Helpline in the United States. We offer free, confidential, culturally sensitive peer support, information and resources for LGBTQ+ South Asian individuals, families and friends around the globe. We want to offer a safe and supportive ear for callers to share their concerns, questions, struggles or hopes through conversations with our trained South Asian peer support volunteers. We are a volunteer collective of South Asian queer and trans individuals across the United States.
Defining Peer Support
Peer support is centrally about people with similar experiences providing support for each other as equals. For us, this is based in our shared identities as people who trace our ancestry to the South Asian subcontinent and identify or are still exploring our identities under the LGBTQ+ umbrella, including those who are curious or questioning and those who do not want to label themselves.
There are different models to provide peer support. We provide non-crisis emotional support by phone and email during a limited set of hours per week. We do not offer crisis support or long-term support (e.g., speaking with the same person regularly). This means you can call us during our open hours and whomever answers will listen openly and empathetically to what you want to discuss at that time. If you write to us, we will provide a response and also encourage you to call us to speak with someone. If you are in crisis, want longer-term support, and/or are looking for other resources, we will do our best to direct you to other services that are better suited to meet those needs.
There are different models to provide peer support. We provide non-crisis emotional support by phone and email during a limited set of hours per week. We do not offer crisis support or long-term support (e.g., speaking with the same person regularly). This means you can call us during our open hours and whomever answers will listen openly and empathetically to what you want to discuss at that time. If you write to us, we will provide a response and also encourage you to call us to speak with someone. If you are in crisis, want longer-term support, and/or are looking for other resources, we will do our best to direct you to other services that are better suited to meet those needs.
Vision and Mission
Vision
An equitable world where Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer, Trans, and Gender Nonbinary (LGBQ/TGNB+) communities of color, including South Asians, are free to thrive in our multitude of identities with collective care and emotional support.
Mission
DeQH is an all-volunteer collective dedicated to strengthening wellness and reducing isolation by connecting LGBQ/TGNB+ South Asians to communities and resources that support and promote healing and thriving. We provide free, confidential, culturally sensitive peer support by and for LGBQ/TGNB+ South Asians in the United States.
An equitable world where Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer, Trans, and Gender Nonbinary (LGBQ/TGNB+) communities of color, including South Asians, are free to thrive in our multitude of identities with collective care and emotional support.
Mission
DeQH is an all-volunteer collective dedicated to strengthening wellness and reducing isolation by connecting LGBQ/TGNB+ South Asians to communities and resources that support and promote healing and thriving. We provide free, confidential, culturally sensitive peer support by and for LGBQ/TGNB+ South Asians in the United States.
Our Values
- We are by and for the LGBQ/TGNB+ South Asian diaspora: as we serve our communities, we are also part of the communities; as we provide support, we ourselves are also healing.
- We actively listen to and support people wherever they are in their process, including those who do not identify with a label or who are still exploring or questioning their identities.
- We practice consent and confidentiality, and prioritize the safety and anonymity of the people reaching out to us.
- We prioritize accessibility and believe there should be no barriers to receiving support.
- We aspire to be trauma-informed and survivor-centered and affirm the experiences of our communities without judgement.
- We aim to center the most marginalized in our work and to resist all forms of oppressive hierarchies that contribute to violence and harm, including ableism; cissexism; heterosexism; casteism; classism; nationalism; anti-Muslim discrimination; racism, including anti-Black racism; white supremacy; and all forms of oppressive hierarchies.
- We are non-hierarchical and value collective decision-making and supporting each other’s leadership, strengths, and growth.
- We are committed to listening, adapting, and growing based on the needs of our communities, and therefore are open to feedback from those we support.
Get Involved
If you are a member of the South Asian LGBQ/TGNB+ community and would like to be trained as a peer support volunteer, or to volunteer in other capacities, please contact us for more information.