Lighthouse Successfully Completes Special Batch For LGBTQ Community, All Twelve Students Bag Jobs

Pune, 9th September 2022: The Lighthouse Communities Foundation started a special batch for the LGBTQ community, the first of its kind, where twelve youths joined the course, and all of them successfully bagged jobs where they could work with dignity. Ten were placed in the Tax Department of PCMC and two in Big Basket as Customer Care Executives.

In our country, being a member of the LGBTQ community has never been easy. Because they were rejected by their family and society, they were unable to complete their education and ended up begging or working in low-wage jobs. Some dared to defy the constraints of structured societal norms and taboos. They want to take the stage for being themselves, regardless of what is thrown at them.

Each person shared their rejection story about being abandoned on the road or being asked to leave their home. While only a few were accepted, their families were ashamed of them and never involved them in occasions. They eventually left, exhausted and frustrated. They often begged to survive.

This batch was particularly special to the Lighthouse Community as they witnessed how these youngsters transformed their rejection into self-acceptance.

During the course, they mentioned, “This is the first place where someone is listening to us and giving us respect and love without any expectations. We do not remember the last time people heard and understood us. Lighthouse is the only place where we receive love without any discrimination. These 44 hours are the most beautiful moments of our life.”

Apart from self-acceptance, the major challenge was digital literacy; despite all the challenges, they did well, and the Foundation is happy to see them working in their respective jobs.