Who We Are

Safe Access is a community-led initiative and a flagship project under Qequal Foundation, a Section 8, Not-for-Profit registered company.

Vision

We envision a world where every queer and trans individual has equitable access to inclusive, comprehensive, and affirmative healthcare. We strive for a society that celebrates diversity, embraces social justice, equity and equality.

Mission

Safe Access is committed to breaking down healthcare barriers for queer and trans communities in India. Our mission is to provide accessible and culturally sensitive healthcare services, advocate for equitable policies, and foster education to empower LGBTQ+ individuals in their journey.

Through collaboration, research, education, service delivery and building awareness, we aim to create a healthcare landscape that is affirming, respectful, and responsive to the unique needs of every person, promoting a healthier and more inclusive society.

Values

Equality

We are committed to ensuring that every individual receives equal access to quality healthcare, acknowledging the importance of their gender identity and sexual orientation. Our focus is on dismantling barriers that restrict access to medical care for LGBTQ+ individuals.
Equity

We ensure equitable healthcare solutions that are inclusive, affirming, and informed. Our initiatives are specifically designed to meet the unique needs of the LGBTQ+ community, making healthcare services effective.
Justice

We assert that quality healthcare is a fundamental human right. Every member of the LGBTQ+ community across India is entitled to a healthy life. Our efforts are aimed at upholding this right through advocacy, action and accountability.
Community

Amid societal discrimination, we prioritize strengthening our community resources. By mobilizing internal support and building resilience, we aim to improve health outcomes and create a supportive network of community care and healing for the LGBTQ+ community.

People of Safe Access

Shubham

Founder and CEO

Shubham is a queer feminist. At Safe Access, Shubham looks into strategy, management, fundraising and partnerships. Shubham is a Gandhi Fellow, Echoing Green Fellow, Senior Atlantic Fellow and Forbes 30 under 30 honorary. Prior to starting Safe Access, Shubham has worked on diverse domains like education, livelihood, gender issues.

Aayushi

Communications Manager

Aayushi is dedicated to advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and mental health awareness. Currently serving as the Communications Manager at Safe Access, she develops and implements comprehensive social media strategies & also designs content and contributes to educational resources that align with Safe Access's mission.

She holds a Master's degree in Gender, Culture, and Development Studies, with a background in Films, Literary, and Cultural Studies. Aayushi has a keen interest and has worked on themes related to gender and queer studies, chosen and found families, and pop culture.

Dhaval

Director Programs & Strategy

Dhaval identifies as a cis gay man. He is responsible for design, development and implementation of strategic directives and programs at Safe Access. He has been actively involved in the LGBTQ+ rights movement for over two decades, and was a co-chair of Trikone, San Francisco, the oldest LGBTQ+ organization of south asian diaspora. Dhaval is a human-centric design strategist, a systems thinker and a technologist by profession.

Dr. Swathi

Public Health Consultant

Dr Swathi SB is a Primary care & HIV physician and public health professional. She advocates for health as a right and focuses on addressing health inequities through research, implementation and strengthening health systems. She explores the intersection between health, gender, and sexuality. She has worked with women in sex work, and transgender communities delivering primary care and understanding the issues related to the provision of comprehensive HIV and primary health care.

Afreen

Program Manager

Afreen Azim is a researcher with a background in law, communications, and advocacy, currently serving as Program Manager at Safe Access where they focus on equitable health outcomes for queer-trans communities. They hold a Master of Laws in International and Comparative Law from the National University of Singapore where they also taught for four years. Previously, Afreen has led digital communication campaigns and supported fundraising efforts for a shelter home for the trans community in Mumbai. In their role as Project Manager for the National University Health System’s Community Health Innovation Project, Afreen conducted in-depth interviews with marginalised communities and submitted a report on barriers to healthcare access to Singapore's Ministry of Health. They also contributed to a shadow report on sex workers' rights, which was presented to the UN CEDAW Committee. Through their diverse experiences, Afreen remains deeply committed to driving social change through community-building.

Gautam RamChandra

Community Advisory

Gautam (he/they) is an experienced programs and communications professional with over five years in the development sector, specializing in sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice (SRHRJ), as well as LGBTQ+ advocacy. Currently, he serves as Senior Manager in the Communications and Brand department at Tata Projects. Previously, at Safe Access, he worked to build awareness and train queer-affirmative healthcare providers, while also offering emotional and psychosocial support as a peer support provider to queer-trans* community members. Gautam has also served as Co-Chair and Board Member at TWEET Foundation, where they focused on empowering the transmasculine community through resource building, community development, and providing shelter and peer support. Additionally, they contributed as a Co-Investigator with Sangath on the iHearTransMHPrep project, curating medical resources to prepare for future healthcare emergencies. Throughout their career, Gautam remains deeply committed to creating meaningful change in both professional and community-driven spaces.

Shruti

Consultant Advisor & Trainer
Mental Health Professional

Shruti Chakravarty (ciswoman, pronoun: she) has experience of 17 years in the non-profit sector, as a mental health practitioner, researcher, trainer and social worker. Areas of
engagement have been mental health, gender and sexuality from a rights based perspective. She has an independent therapeutic practice based in Mumbai and has in-depth experience working with LGBTQIA+ clients in a therapeutic set up. She has co-authored a training manual on Gay Affirmative Counselling Practice and conducts several interactive workshops on this topic on a regular basis with students of social work, psychology and counselling, with NGOs working with young people, with MHPs and social workers in a variety of settings.
She is currently pursuing her PhD on queer intimacies at Tata Institute of Social Sciences. She is Chief Advisor and Faculty at Mariwala Health Initiative’s (MHI) Queer Affirmative Counselling Practice Certificate Course (QACP).

Pooja

Consultant Advisor & Trainer
Mental Health Professional

Pooja Nair (ciswoman, pronoun: she) has been part of the non-profit sector for over a decade. She has worked variously as a researcher, documentation consultant, trainer and now as an independent therapist. She has an Mphil from Tata Institute of Social Sciences and has worked in the areas of life skills, gender, sexuality, violence and child sexual abuse. She has also worked with adolescents on life skills development. She is currently working on her PhD in addition to being a mental health practitioner and trainer. She is Faculty at Mariwala Health Initiative’s (MHI) Queer Affirmative Counselling Practice Certificate Course (QACP).

Gauri

Consultant Advisor & Trainer
Mental Health Professional

Gauri Shringarpure (ciswoman, pronoun: she) is a mental health practitioner with practice in Thane. She has been involved in gender and sexuality training in colleges and with NSS students actively for more than five years. She has also been engaged in working in the fields of self-care and mental health and is a positive psychology practitioner. She is also an experienced (24 years) researcher in consumer behavior and is also an ethnographer. She is a consultant for Mariwala Health Initiative with two of their partner organisations. Gauri is also a faculty at the Mariwala Health Initiative's Queer Affirmative Counseling Practice Certificate course.