When mainstream dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, Delta, Grindr, and OkCupid were busy finding companionship for all the singles in the country while blatantly ignoring the needs and conservations of an integral part of Indian society, the LGBTQ+ community, AYA app came to their rescue in 2020.
AYA (As You Are), an indigenous dating app designed explicitly for the people LGBTQ+ community was released in April 2020 with the objective of bridging the gap between all those who have taken years to accept and being eloquent about their identities and those who are still to identify themselves publicly for various reasons.
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Designed by a Chandigarh-based entrepreneur Sunali Aggarwal, the key feature of the app are accessibility, anonymity, and complete user-control. The app understands the sensitivity of the users involved and thus provides jargon-free signup, three-level verification, and a much-needed security setup.
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Talking about the development and AYA’s future, Sunali says for many from the LGBTQ+ community, the physical world may not be the most conducive space to find a partner and therefore, the community often turns to the digital world to seek guidance and support.
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Sunali came up with the idea when in 2017 the Supreme Court of India took a bold step of decriminalising homosexuality in a nation that had long been in the shackles of customs, stereotypes, and pretty much everything that challenges the status quo.
