June being celebrated as International Pride Month, Pride events are taking place across the country and globally, bringing together LGBTQIA+ people and celebrating inclusion. But we need to celebrate beyond Pride Month and in order to do that, some members of the community are working on unique ways to present their views, like through YouTube videos. We spoke to YouTube creators Sushant Divgikar and Honey Imm Home (Divesh Tolani and Atulan Purohit), who use the tech platform very innovatively. We also spoke to Rohan Arora, co-founder of the popular app Evolve, which has a strong focus on LGBTQ+ audiences.
Meet YouTube creator Sushant Divgikar
The LGBTQIA+ activist and actor is active on YouTube and Instagram, showcasing a ‘day in the life’-type videos as well as meaningful takes on themes like Valentine’s Day, Women’s Day and even working from home. What keeps Divgikar, aka Rani KoHEnur, going?
Challenges and opportunities of running a YouTube channel for a trans-artiste…
I think the biggest concern and challenge of running a YouTube channel as a trans-artiste is the fact that people have been making fun of the trans community for the longest time. And, in general, whatever we put up, people are very insensitive and inhumane towards us. I think there has to be a lot of sensitisation that has to happen. It’s a great thing that other leading YouTubers are supporting the trans community on their podcasts, long-format videos, as well as shorts. I have had the good fortune to be on some of these shows and podcasts.
YouTube has provided me with a platform to experiment and explore. However, to sustain a functional model of work or content creation, you need certain things like editing skills and more. I have been creating and posting content for six-seven years and have been in the industry for almost 17 years.
What viewersneed to know…
The one thing I want people to learn from my YouTube channel is that I am an artiste, an entertainer and that comes before my gender, my orientation, where I come from or where I live. My goal is to entertain my audience regardless of where they come from. In addition to performing on the biggest stage, I’ve also performed in bars and other places where many people are not comfortable performing as they would consider it to be beneath them. The reason I want to put more content is to let people know that we are artistes first and that art transcends all behaviours. As a living example, I just need to show more of that on my YouTube channel.
Myths broken about being a drag performer…
Being a drag performer I have broken several myths such as the belief that drag is only for a certain section of society. I have performed in tier-II cities to smaller towns to even villages in India in drag. Also, on national television as the first ever drag artiste on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, which definitely is one of the most serious singing shows on Indian television. I have broken the myth that it’s only for the elite and not for everyone. I have performed at a lot of places and proved that drag is a performance art. It’s a multi-disciplinary art and anyone can be a drag artist. You don’t have to be drag king or queen to be a drag artiste.
YouTube and social media, a life-changing experience….
I come from the classic school of musical theatre. I am a singer, live performer and have also served as a television/video jockey for UTV Bindass. I have also participated in Bigg Boss and have been a part of several other shows as a host and much more. I think that transition to social media happened for me much later than other friends of mine who started maybe around the same time as me but they didn’t gain as much widespread recognition because they didn’t make it on TV.
My life has changed because of social media. I think social media is a very democratic platform and it doesn’t discriminate on the basis of gender. People may or may not consume your content but you can always put it out there knowing that you are not going to be threatened and you can just put the camera on and be yourself. I think that holds a lot of power and it says a lot. Because 10-15 years back we didn’t have this and I think therefore we didn’t have inspirational icons to look at.
Today, when I walk on the road and meet a stranger who casually hugs me and says that I saved their life by just putting out one video where I spoke with my parents or when they saw me performing and receiving love from thousands of people in the audience. They say by looking at you we want to live, we want to be successful like you and I just think that it really has changed my life and humbled me so much. It has taught me so much and now I just don’t perform for myself or not just live for myself but I have to serve a bigger purpose and that is to have a positive impact on people and society.
Meet Divesh Tolani and Atulan Purohit (Honey Imm Home)
The YouTube channel Honey Imm Home is the brainchild of Divesh Tolani and Atulan Purohit and the idea is to raise awareness and knowledge about the LGBTQIA+ community’s existence. The creators are active on their YT channel (262K subs), which mainly includes videos and Shorts content relating to their personal relationship. The duo also create prank, travel and funny videos on their channel.
Challenges of putting out fresh content all the time….
Whether you’re an artist, a freelancer, working in a corporate firm, or even a digital nomad, consistency is difficult in all parts of life. That being said, consistency is the only thing that pays off. With regards to how we produce content, there are different ways that work for us all while making sure that we don’t do it only for pleasing the algorithm but also innovating for our personal selves. We’ve discovered ways personally and as a couple to be able to do this sustainably. No one way is the right way, and nobody else’s method would compulsorily work for all creators. But, it’s about trying, testing, failing, and trying again. All this while keeping on checking in with your team, which in this case is my partner, and just changing routes to suit our mental health and our needs professionally.
Content for Pride Month…
This Pride Month, we’ve decided to take it slow, given the other million things going on in our personal lives that need our attention. Like we said, we’d rather be in it sustainably, or not at all. It’s all about staying humble, giving it time and not rushing it, and yet working very very hard.
How they met...
We met at an international contemporary dance touring company (where Atulan was Divesh’s senior).
I joined the dance company a year before Divesh. We never used to talk because I found him too young, or in other words, kiddish… but over time we realised how similar we are. With the spark in the picture, we started replying to each other’s Instagram Stories. And well, the rest is history.
Apart from dance, we also discovered that we have a common love for wanderlust, which took our relationship to a new level. In time, we chose to travel with whatever time we could and thought of documenting this for our friends and family on our common page called Honey Imm Home that we created on the way to our first trip together. With time, we had people tell us how our existence on the Internet inspires them and with that in mind we made sure to never take it for granted. So far, that’s one of the big things that has kept us going and motivated us to exist and do better on social media.
Love winsagainst all odds…
People may often find it difficult to explain “love” in one word. But I think if we had to describe what love means to us, it would mean a mix of words like trust, exploration, safe, romanticising, real, passion, partner through hard and fun times, and therapy.
All that being said, love has always won, is always winning and will continue to do so. Your duty as a human can be various things, but the most important one is to be kind. You never know what the person in front of you is going through, but you being kind to them is the only healing power in this world. There is a lot of hatred in the world. Let’s not add it.
Long-form videos versus YouTube Shorts…
Long-form content on YouTube for us is like a video diary. It can be a sit-down video about an incident in our life that we think people will find useful coming from firsthand experience.
Or, vlogs from our daily life that provide value to our audience, and/or have a feel-good value. We aspire to make content that people think will leave them feeling good after, or makes them smile a bit during their day.
With regards to short-form videos, YouTube Shorts, we like to explore various different formats. Right from mini life/travel vlogs, small learnings from life, outfit inspirations, inspirational content, social content, etc. All while keeping in mind to keep it easy to consume, given that it’s of a shorter length.
Evolve, an app with a strong focus on LGBTQ+ audiences
Co-founded by Anshul Kamath and Rohan Arora in 2020, Evolve is a health-tech startup on a mission to make mental health safe, simple and joyful. The Evolve app and its proprietary interface help users improve their mental well-being through interactive content based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). The app was recognised as part of Google Play’s Best Of 2021 in India and currently has over 250,000 users from across the world. Evolve has a strong focus on LGBTQ+ audiences, with curated content and offerings specifically for members of the community. Here’s what Rohan Arora, co-founder of Evolve, has to say.
Different from other apps….
Initially, we started out as a mental health app for everyone. However, in 2021, we decided to pivot towards an LGBTQ+ first app after seeing some early signs of traction. The LGBTQ+ community is one of the fastest-growing user segments globally and research shows that members of the community are almost four times as likely to experience serious mental illness compared to the general population.
There are three things that help us stand out:
1. Authenticity: Our core team itself is extremely diverse when it comes to gender identities and sexual orientations and this makes us build new features and content from a place of extreme empathy. In the last six months, we’ve also started to partner with leading LGBTQ+ therapists, experts, and influencers for new content, support groups, and so on.
2. Research and credibility: We’re highly focused on research and building evidence-based interventions. We have someone who’s a PhD in clinical psychology leading our research and content. We’ve recently signed a research project with BITS Pilani and are also part of a global mental health research alliance.
3. Holistic solution: We have a proprietary 3C framework on the app of content, community, and coaching to solve minority stressors that the LGBTQ+ community experiences. Unlike most other apps which focus primarily on virtual content, Evolve also has a thriving community where users can discuss and share their experiences with each other to normalise stressors. We’ve also recently launched live support groups where users have a safe space to interact with others worldwide and work on specific issues related to their mental health.
Reaction of the LGTBQ+ community…
Overall, we’ve had a lot of user love for Evolve. Our app is rated 4.7 out of 5 with over 10,000 public ratings and reviews. Most of our traction has been organic with our users sharing us on social media and other channels. Users love the fact that we’re inclusive and provide a safe and non-judgmental space for them to work on their mental health. Specific features that users love are our virtual therapy sessions focused on specific issues members of the LGBTQ+ community experience such as micro-aggressions at work, homophobia at home… and our community feature where users can interact with others from around the world.
Help from Google….
We’re so glad to have Google Play as a partner that actively aligns with and supports our mission to solve the mental health challenges of the LGBTQ+ community across the world. In fact, Google Play has a huge role to play in our pivot towards an LGBTQ+ first app. Thanks to the A/B testing framework on the Play Console, we’ve been able to understand the fact that users from the community were actively seeking out apps like ours and how underserved their needs were.
We were part of Appscale Academy 2021, an accelerator programme by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Startup hub and Google Play. This was truly an enriching experience for us. Google continues to support us and showcase our app to audiences around the world. For example, during Pride Month 2023, Evolve is being featured at the top of the Play Store in the US, Canada, Australia, the UK and India.
Pride Month focus for Evolve...
We’re launching live support groups and events on the Evolve app this Pride Month. Our users across different intersectionalities will now have shared safe spaces to support each other and also access mental health experts and coaches.
During Pride Month, we have also planned a series of workshops and panel discussions on the app that centres around key issues that impact the community. Apart from this, we’re official Mental Health Tech partners for large Pride organisations globally, including Harlem Pride in NYC, DC Black Pride, and the Center for Black Equity.
We look forward to being part of their Pride events and supporting them for the whole year.