A day before Delhi Pride 2019 and more than a year after the Supreme Court declared Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code unconstitutional “in so far as it criminalises consensual sexual conduct between adults of the same sex”, Q-rious organised a career fair in Delhi for job-seekers from the LGBTQ+ community—the first of its kind. Now there are even business models designed to cater to the community, but lack of empathy among recruiters and colleagues due to ingrained prejudices is still the norm. “Surviving at a workplace is as difficult as finding a job. Not everyone is fortunate to find a safe and cooperative working environment,” says Ankita Mehta, who, along with Stockroom.io CEO Naren Krishna, conceptualised Q-rious as a platform of, by and for the community. The aim was to help people from the LGBTQ+ community explore new job opportunities, besides sensitising corporate workplaces. The Delhi edition of Q-rious had over 300 job-seekers and companies such as Societe Generale, Thoughtworks, Optum, StayUncle, Lalit Suri Hospitality Group, JLL and Flipkart. Pointing out that being inclusive is not just good for mutual trust between employees and employers, but also great for a brand’s image, Keshav Suri, executive director of the Lalit Suri Hospitality Group and founder of the Keshav Suri Foundation, said: “We often get positive feedback from our guests, who opt for us because of our policies. ”
