Pink List India

“We cannot wait for Parliament,” argued Anand Grover, with the brilliant @BhattRohin, and submitted @PinkListIndia’s research to the Supreme Court during the #MarriageEquality hearings today. We are grateful to everyone who tirelessly tracks what Indian MPs say on LGBTQ+ issues!

The Bill will now be transmitted to the Rajya Sabha, where it may be taken up for discussion as early as this week. Hopefully, better sense will prevail in the Upper House, and the government will consider the concerns raised in the House of Elders to withdraw this bill entirely.

Unfortunately, despite the Prime Minister’s commitment to transgender rights, reiterated everywhere from the Red Fort to the G7, there has been no attempt meaningfully engage with the transgender community while drafting legislations supposedly meant to ensure their welfare.

This is a black day for LGBTQ+ rights in India. The passage of the #TransBill2026 in the Lok Sabha without any concrete responses to several valid concerns raised by Opposition MPs signals the unwillingness of the government to listen to constructive criticism.

The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill 2026 must be referred to the Standing Committee on Social Justice & Empowerment so that legal experts and, most importantly, members of the trans community can be heard before Parliament proceeds further. #NoGoingBack

#Budget2024 mentions LGBTQ+ rights in just one place. The allocation for "Comprehensive Rehabilitation for Welfare of Transgender Persons" under the SMILE program increased from 52.91 crores in FY24 to 68.46 crores in FY25 (remember that actual expenditure on the program was only 22.82 crores for FY24). This scheme is supposed to fund Garima Grehs, scholarships, and the running of the National Council for Transgender Persons. Most Garima Grehs have shut down because of a lack of funding, and the NCTP is barely functional. The 2011 Census said that the transgender population in India is approximately 4.9 lakh (a gross undercounting). Even if you took that number at face value, this means a paltry budgetary allocation of around Rs. 1,400 per person from the trans community. If you take more realistic figures, which peg the trans population in India at around 1.22 crores out of 144 crores, then the average allocation to each member of the trans community is a disgusting Rs. 56. Claims to stand for transgender rights mean little when you don't put your money where your mouth is.

"LGBTQI+ rights are central to U.S. foreign policy," says @ericgarcetti in an exclusive interview to @pinklistindia. The @USAmbIndia also discusses the current status of his engaging with the government on queer rights. Read the full interview here: pinklistindia.com/post/lgbtqi-ri…

A historic day for the #LGBTQIA+ community in India. @INCIndia becomes the second national party (after @cpimspeak) to promise civil unions. While this isn't enough, the pledge of wide consultations keeps the door open for engagement on the other issues that affect our lives.

Congratulations to so many tireless voices within the Congress, including the fabulous @mleccha, who have ensured that the party makes non-discrimination and civil unions a part of their national manifesto. We need queer rights to be taken seriously by political parties.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who also opposed Shashi Tharoor's private member bills to read down Section 377, has said in Parliament that he is "against unnatural sex" (which, for him, is any form of queer sex). We condemn such homophobic statements on the floor of the Lok Sabha.

Wrote on how much the marriage equality judgment can be used in other queer demands including the challenge to the Trans Act, anti-discrimination law, horizontal reservations and more. DM if any access issue. thequint.com/opinion/does-m…

For those looking for a space in Delhi to find community after the Supreme Court's marriage equality verdict: come to Max Mueller Bhavan this evening!

I argue that the question of the existence of a "right to marry" was a red herring in the marriage equality judgement, and the never-before-seen standards testing this right's existence were designedly developed to defeat the petitioners' case before it could begin. Please read!

In today’s @timesofindia, I write about why we should rage against the judgement in the Supriyo Chakraborty, and the issues with the judgement and everything that the court gets wrong.

Not our job says SC for marriage equality. But triple talaq, Vishakha guidelines were court orders predating the law….

Wrote a piece on the marriage equality judgment for the Indian Express.

If you too are disturbed by the marriage equality verdict, and care about addressing the everyday discrimination and violence faced by LGBTQ+ communities, please lend your voice to this statement asking our political class to step up. Sign: forms.gle/RRmmHJPvdnf8te…

We have signed this statement asking our elected politicians to act and pass laws that legally recognise our relationships, our chosen families and protect us from discrimination and violence. Add your signature too and reshare please: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAI…

Pink List India has signed this letter expressing disappointment at the Supreme Court verdict on marriage equality and calling upon elected representatives to stand up for equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community. Please sign and share widely! forms.gle/RRmmHJPvdnf8te…

Tune in to this space with @mihirxr to discuss the #MarriageEquality verdict! twitter.com/i/spaces/1jMKg…