India’s First Queer Radio Station Hits Airwaves

Q Radio is India’s first radio station tailored to LGBT audiences and has been broadcasting around the clock from Bangalore since September. The station plays tunes by LGBT-friendly and queer artists in between talk shows discussing issues faced by the community ranging from coming out to LGBT global human rights.

Program host Vaishalli Chandra, a former journalist and Q Radio’s channel manager notes: “It’s nice to have people come out and share their stories because it gives hope to other people in that dilemma on whether they should come out or not.”

Q Radio is the brainchild of Anil Srivatsa, CEO and co-founder, Radiowalla.in. In a recent interview with Press Trust of India, Srivasta expressed the need for the station. “LGBT is a large special interest group left out of main stream media and social representation and this is a natural fit to our vision. The LGBT need media representation and a common ground to gather their thoughts and spread them from one place.”