Hyderabad - Post Report Question and Answers
Is this a good city for LGBT expatriates? Why or why not?
I am not sure. Southern India tends to be more progressive than northern India. There was a small group of transgender women in my neighborhood, and the locals either ignored them and thought they were a curiosity, but I never witnessed malicious behavior. - Jun 2024
I know that there are LGBT expats and people around, but I couldn’t speak to the social scene. - Jan 2023
From my conversations with colleagues, not really. While it is one of the only countries that will confer diplomatic accreditation to same-sex spouses, society here does not accept LGBT+ people. - Jul 2020
It's not great for the LGBT+ "experience" in the same way that Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore are. There are barely bars, let alone gay bars. Pride is held on a secret day in February, ostensibly to prevent unwanted gruff. That said, many of the big Westernized companies have LGBT/ally groups with great attendance, so younger generations are beginning to learn about LGBT+ presence. For us, we were benefited by the fact that few people in the community knew of our relationship. Our educated neighbors knew and were fine with it. When traveling and staying at hotels, we would sometimes be asked if we wanted two beds, but no one was pushy or assuming. But drivers and tour guides never assumed we were together (we'd regularly get questions like "how many girlfriends?"). We never once felt any animosity towards our sexuality. On the whole, it was much easier than I expected, given that we were in the conservative (and more Muslim) south. Two more points: 1) Delhi and Mumbai are much better for a more scene-y experience, but are still far from an American understanding of LGBT-friendly. 2) Gay spouses do not get diplomatic visas, immunities, or rights to work on the local market. Several gay spouses (not necessarily affiliated with the consulate) had problems securing long-term resident visas. So gay spouses have to compete for consulate jobs, or work from home after getting local and post approval, which is absurd. - Jul 2019
Not sure, I think so. - Jan 2019
India doesn't recognize same-sex marriage, so keep that in mind. Hopefully that'll change in the future. - Nov 2017
No. Being gay is a crime in India. - Sep 2016
I wouldn't think so. Most of India isn't - and especially conservative, Muslim leaning Hyderabad. - Mar 2015
Homosexuality is illegal in India. No, seriously, it's against the law and punishable by imprisonment. That being said - it's not usually an enforced law. But for anybody without diplomatic immunity it should be a consideration as you never know when some local politician might decide this law needs to be enforced to score political points. Hyderabad does have an underground LGBT scene but it is far underground. Inside the closet under a trapdoor hidden in a bunker underground. Single LGBT expats will have an even greater challenge than straight folks in finding comfortable locales to mingle. The one advantage of India's conservative approach to LGBT issues is that, at least in Hyderabad, those who are gay likely won't face public discrimination because homosexuality is so far out of the public conciousness that it's not even a consideration. Being foreign makes you queer enough that nobody is going to consider your sexual preference. - Nov 2014
No. - Jul 2014
If there is a gay scene in Hyderabad, it is keeping a very low profile. - Mar 2012
Unfortunately, being gay is illegal in India. That says it all. - Jan 2011
