NEW DELHI: In the first political acknowledgement of the LGBTQ+ community after numerous setbacks, the Indian Congress party established an internal group this week to advance LGBTQ+ rights, while another party nominated a member of the community as its spokesperson.
The LGBTQ+ community was deeply upset by the Supreme Court’s decision to reject same-sex marriage legalization last year, deciding instead to leave the issue up to parliament. The Supreme Court had decriminalized homosexuality in 2018.
The administration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which has likewise maintained that the legislature is the appropriate forum for decision-making, this week sought public input on the finest ways to guarantee that community initiatives are successful and inclusive.
Same-sex unions are not “comparable with the Indian family unit concept,” the administration said the Supreme Court last year.
Under its All-India Professionals Congress branch, Congress has expanded its reach politically after outperforming forecasts in the April–June general election. This week, the organization chose LGBTQ+ activist Mario da Penha to lead its new community section.
The nomination comes after a survey in Congress revealed that lawmakers intended to pass legislation allowing same-sex unions.
