Chez Jerome – Q Cafe is the first LGBTI cafe in India’s capital, New Delhi. Photo: Facebook
India’s capital, New Delhi, now has its own LGBTI cafe which along with an amazing menu will be a safe space for all people in the rainbow community.
Chez Jerome – Q Cafe has been open since late last year but word is still catching on about this unique space for LGBTI people.
Chez Jerome is the brainchild of Sambhav Dehlavi who is also the head waiter and chef.
‘I want this to be a safe space for women, too, for anyone who wants to be part of an inclusive culture,’ Dehlavi told the Hindustan Times.
The 27-year-old came out 10 years ago and said that tough experience has given him a great resilience.
‘We first realised about negativity when we came out of the closet. I came out when I was just 17,’ he told The Indian Express.
‘Now that I’ve come through all of it, these tiny hurdles [opposition to the cafe] feel like nothing.
‘The LGBTQ community lacks safe spaces. So, most importantly, we are trying to make a safe place for them. Every community must have equal rights when it comes to dining or enjoying night life, and that’s how the idea of this cafe came to me.’
The space is also open for artists to perform and Chez Jerome hosts same-sex blind dating nights.
Chez Jerome’s cuisine is very European with a mix of Italian, Greek and French cuisines.
A hangover from British colonial rule Section 377 of India’s Penal Code outlaws homosexuality. The trans (hijra) community is accepted in some parts of the country and India officially recognises a ‘third gender’. But LGBTI people still face a lot of discrimination in India.
