Breaking Barriers: How Two Queer Women Created India's First LGBTQ+ Metaverse

First Contact-Deepali Lakhanpal & Ayushi Verma

In a country where queer individuals often struggle to find community, especially outside major cities, Deepali Lakhanpal and Ayushi Verma have created something revolutionary: FirstContact, India's first metaverse platform specifically designed as a safe haven for LGBTQ+ people.

A Safe Space in the Digital Realm

"Many people aren't ready to come out as queer. They want to understand how safe the environment is first," explains Lakhanpal, who founded FirstContact with Verma in early 2023.

The platform offers something uniquely valuable—the ability to connect authentically while maintaining anonymity. "When you have a different identity or go by a different name, it becomes easier to talk to others. It's like how you can sometimes talk to a stranger about your problems more easily than with your own friends," Lakhanpal notes.

This insight forms the foundation of FirstContact, whose name reflects the founders' understanding that initial interactions with the community often shape the life trajectories of queer individuals.

Beyond Dating Apps: Creating Meaningful Connections

What sets FirstContact apart from platforms like Tinder or Grindr is its focus on community rather than dating. The founders are clear about their vision—this isn't another hookup app or professional networking site.

"FC is standing in a space where it's solving a problem that none of the other platforms are addressing," says Verma, who holds a Master's degree in Sociology from Delhi School of Economics. Her research on the Kinner community during her studies informed the platform's development.

Verma describes FirstContact as a "plugin to your life"—a place where users can work alongside others, take breaks together, play games, or simply chat. It's designed to facilitate the kind of organic interactions that are often missing from other digital spaces.

Personal Journey, Universal Solution

For both founders, the creation of FirstContact was deeply personal. Growing up in Punjab, both experienced the isolation that comes with being queer in smaller Indian cities.

"I met a few queer people in Ludhiana. Those queer people were also scared to come out and they were also running to metro cities. I never had a circle where I can be expressive about my feelings," shares Lakhanpal, who worked in digital marketing before launching the platform.

While larger cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru have developed queer-friendly spaces and events, individuals in tier 2, 3, and 4 cities often remain isolated. FirstContact bridges this gap, offering a digital community accessible from anywhere.

Safety First: Creating Trust in the Virtual World

In an online landscape often plagued by harassment, FirstContact prioritizes user safety through careful community management. The platform employs strict safety rules, including safe words to help maintain boundaries.

"The safety of our users is always our number one priority," emphasizes Verma. "We've now reached a point where the community itself upholds the FC rules."

Rather than traditional identity verification, which could compromise anonymity, the platform focuses on behavioral cues and community standards. This approach allows users to participate fully while remaining anonymous if they choose—a crucial feature for those not yet ready to publicly identify as queer.

Reimagining the Status Quo

Beyond creating a platform, Lakhanpal and Verma have a broader vision: to challenge and ultimately change the prevailing cis-heteronormative social structures.

"When we meet and then go out into the real world, we carry with us the idea of not assuming anyone's identity with respect to gender, sexuality, or anything else," explains Verma. "The whole status quo exists because there are enough people believing in the current cis-heteronormativity. But when we get enough people to connect, we can topple that."

Through their work with FirstContact, these two visionary founders aren't just creating a digital space—they're fostering a movement that could ultimately transform how society views and accepts diversity.

In a world where technology often reinforces existing power structures, FirstContact stands as a powerful example of how digital platforms can be designed to liberate rather than limit human connection.

Learn more at https://www.firstcontact.lgbt/