The year 2018 was a significant one for the LGBTQ+ community in India.
On 6 September 2018, the Supreme Court, in a landmark judgment, read down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, decriminalising consensual same-sex sexual acts.
Celebrations erupted across the country as the community and its supporters welcomed the apex court’s decision, that came more than twenty years after the constitutionality of the colonial-era statute was first challenged.
The Year of Pride
The pride parades that followed the Supreme Court’s verdict were more vibrant and joyous than ever.
The Year of Drag
The reading down of Section 377 also meant that members of the LGBTQ+ community could now express themselves more freely.
The drag culture in India definitely received mainstream media’s attention post the verdict.
The entire philosophy of drag is that gender is a performance. Don’t take it too seriously.Ayushman, Lawyer and Drag Queen
The Fight Goes On...
However, many recognised that the reading down of Section 377 was just the beginning. The battle for acceptance still had a long way to go.
In December 2018, the Lok Sabha passed the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, with 27 amendments to its previous version. The bill, in its new form, violates more rights of transgender persons than it protects.
The transgender, intersex, and gender non-confirming community from across the country demanded that the bill be withdrawn.
While the battle against Section 377 is won, the fight against Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill continues.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)