Introducing the GayBombay Awards: Honouring Brilliance, Building Legacy

Celebrating Courage, Creativity & Change in Mumbai’s LGBT+ Community

This year, GayBombay is proud to present a groundbreaking new tradition — The GayBombay Awards — as part of our annual talent show festivities. More than just a celebration, these awards are a tribute. They honour the extraordinary individuals and organizations who have shaped the path of LGBT+ advocacy, creativity, well-being, and visibility in Mumbai and beyond.

For 27 years, GayBombay has served as a vibrant social and support group, as well as a transformative community platform for LGBT+ individuals in Mumbai. From hosting safe-space meetups, parties, and cultural events, to supporting mental and sexual health awareness, GayBombay has played a vital role in shaping what queer community life looks like in the city. The Awards recognize the heroes who have walked alongside — and ahead of — the movement, lighting the way with courage, passion, and vision.

Why These Awards Matter

The GayBombay Awards are our collective love letter to our community. They signify how far we have come — from underground gatherings to public pride marches, from whispered stories to full cinematic narratives, from fighting stigma to building systems of thriving and care.

These awards aim to:

• Acknowledge pioneers of Mumbai’s queer rights movement, be it through policy change, visibility, or grassroots support.
• Highlight bold voices in arts, media, healthcare, education, and entrepreneurship that reflect an inclusive future.
• Celebrate allies who have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us – friends, mentors, companies, creators, and changemakers.
• Inspire the next generation, especially queer youth, by amplifying stories of lived resilience, innovation, and authenticity.

With categories spanning Activism & Advocacy, Arts & Media, Health & Well-being, Professional Accomplishments, Education, and Mumbai-specific impact, the GayBombay Awards speak to the power and variety of our collective contributions.

The Spirit of Community

This initiative is not about awards in isolation — it’s about recognition as resistance and celebration as strategy. Behind each recipient is a story — often of struggle, sometimes of solitude, always of strength. Whether it’s trailblazers, who have guided the very foundations of safe LGBTQ+ spaces in Mumbai, or health warriors, who have championed inclusive care, these names reflect community-led change in action.

Figures from Bollywood to academia, local entrepreneurs, and silent change-makers in neighbourhoods across Mumbai — all come together into something larger than any single award: a historical record of queer contribution, joy, and resistance.

A New Tradition Begins

As we unveil the first-ever GayBombay Awards, we mark a new moment — one of ownership and storytelling. It is not often that queer movements get to document their own legends while they’re still among us. These awards do exactly that.

They lift up unsung heroes, preserve our histories, and ignite our hopes. They help the broader public see not just who we are — but how much we do, how far we’ve come, and how much further we will go.

Looking Ahead

The GayBombay Awards are more than a one-time celebration. With your applause, this initiative will grow to become an annual record of excellence in India’s ever-evolving LGBTQ+ landscape.

So whether you’re attending our talent show or supporting from afar, join us in celebrating those who shine a little brighter to light up our rainbow.

To those changing lives and changing hearts — we see you, we honour you, we thank you.

Harpreet S Chhachhia,
GayBombay Core Member,
Curator & Programme Director of The GayBombay Awards.