Shrushti Mane was 17 when she started @lgbtmumbai on Instagram in 2016. As a queer person battling homophobia and binary notions of sexuality, it was her way of drawing attention to people such as her. The Instagram handle puts the spotlight on personal stories of queer Indians and issues related to LGBTQ discrimination.

Three years on, @lgbtmumbai has grown beyond Mane's expectations. So much so, that she doesn't have to go looking for people to share their stories. They find her. From 10 followers in the first year, it has now grown to over 16,000. Edited excerpts from
the interview.