Privacy Policy – Water Lily LGBTQI+

Who we are

Water Lily LGBTQI+ is an unregistered community organisation based in London, United Kingdom. We support South Asian LGBTQI+ people through peer support, community connection and advocacy.

You can contact us about any privacy matter at: info@waterlilylgbt.co.uk

What data we collect and why

We only collect data you choose to give us. This happens in three main ways:

Membership applications

When you apply to join Water Lily, we collect your name, email address, and any other information you choose to include in your application. We use this to contact you about your membership and to keep a record of our community. We do not collect or store sensitive personal data such as your sexuality, gender identity or immigration status unless you choose to share it with us voluntarily in a message.

Contact form submissions

When you send us a message through our contact form, we receive your name, email address, the subject you selected and the contents of your message. We use this information only to respond to your enquiry. We do not add you to any mailing list without your explicit consent.

Website cookies

This website uses a single functional cookie to remember your cookie preference (whether you accepted or declined). We do not use tracking cookies, advertising cookies or analytics cookies unless you have given consent. If you decline cookies, only essential site functionality cookies are stored.

Legal basis for processing

We process your personal data under the following lawful bases as set out in UK GDPR:

Consent - where you have actively submitted a form or ticked a checkbox agreeing to our privacy policy.
Legitimate interests - where we need to respond to a message you sent us. We have assessed that our interest in replying to your enquiry does not override your rights.
Legal obligation - where we are required by law to retain certain records.

How we store your data

Messages and membership applications are received by email and stored in our secure email inbox. We do not use a third-party CRM system. Your data is not stored in any public database and is only accessible to authorised volunteers within Water Lily.

We retain contact messages for up to 12 months after the last correspondence. Membership records are kept for as long as your membership remains active, and for up to 24 months after it lapses, unless you ask us to delete them sooner.

Who we share your data with

We do not sell, rent or trade your personal data with any third party.

We do not share your data with other organisations, commercial partners or government bodies, except where we are legally required to do so.

Your data will never be shared with other members of Water Lily without your consent.

Special category data

Information about your sexual orientation, gender identity, health, religion, ethnicity or immigration status is considered special category data under UK GDPR. This type of data carries higher protection requirements.

We understand that many people who contact Water Lily may share this type of information. We treat it with the strictest confidence. We will never use it for any purpose other than providing the support or service you asked for, and we will never share it without your explicit written consent.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights:

Right of access - you can ask for a copy of the data we hold about you at any time.
Right to rectification - you can ask us to correct inaccurate data.
Right to erasure - you can ask us to delete your data. We will do so unless we have a legal reason to retain it.
Right to restrict processing - you can ask us to limit how we use your data.
Right to data portability - you can ask for your data in a readable format.
Right to object - you can object to us processing your data on the basis of legitimate interests.
Right to withdraw consent - where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of any processing we carried out before you withdrew consent.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at info@waterlilylgbt.co.uk. We will respond within 30 days.

Cookies in detail

The only cookie this website sets without your consent is a session cookie used to remember your cookie preference. It does not track you, it does not identify you, and it is not shared with any third party.

If you accept all cookies, the same preference cookie is set with a longer expiry date. No additional tracking takes place on this site at present.

You can also control cookies through your browser settings. Instructions vary by browser and are available from your browser provider.

Third-party links

This website contains links to external websites including Facebook and JustGiving. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites. We recommend reading their privacy policies before sharing any personal information with them.

Children

Our services are intended for people aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 18. If you believe we have received data from someone under 18, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the date at the top of this page. If the changes are significant, we will notify members by email where possible.

Complaints

If you believe we have handled your data incorrectly, please contact us first at info@waterlilylgbt.co.uk and we will do our best to resolve the matter.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK's data protection authority, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.