Despite it being a dramatic and life changing year for the LGBTQI community, Deep Dive with Abhinav Khare delves into how equality and justice is still work in progress for them. The LGBTQI community have always faced marginalisation, societal ostracism, exclusion and inequities. They have always been pushed to live a life in a closet, fearing reprisal and even persecution. This culture of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia have perpetuated in our attitudes, environment and policies.

 

Last year, on September 6, the Supreme Court of India had decriminalised a certain part of the infamous Section 377, which criminalised consensual homosexual relationships and expression of love, thus allowing consenting adults to freely express their gender and sexuality and get into relationships of their choice. This judgement upheld the rights of the LGBTQI Community: the rights of their life, dignity, liberty, equality and non-discrimination.

So, what should we as a community do now?

We should agitate for health access, inclusive spaces, marriage rights and for sex education in schools. We should fight for an equal society.

We should preserve our alliances as the 377 movement was just not a people’s movement, it was a movement of organisations, women rights fighting against the oppressive law and for freedom to love.

Also read: Deep Dive with Abhinav Khare: India’s race to 5G – Thinking beyond importing technology

It is time to introspect and think what more could we do to help the LGBTQI community to progress.

What are the policy level changes that we can undertake?

We can make our curriculum more inclusive by including LGBTQI literature. We can try and make our educational institutions a safe space for our children to discover themselves, uninhibitedly.

We need to make more safe shelter spaces as LGBTQI people still face the wrath of abuse and desertion.

And we as corporates need to employ people without any biases. We need to have sensitisation programs to make our workspaces more inclusive.

They are no longer criminals, and despite this huge milestone, we should continue this journey onwards for their rights and dignity.

About Abhinav Khare

Abhinav Khare is the CEO of AsiaNetNews Network and also the host of a daily show named Deep Dive with AK. AsiaNetNews is a leading media group of south India with highly valuable brands like AsiaNetNews, Suvarna News, Kannada Prabha, IndigoMusic, Indigo Radio, MyNation, NewsFast, IndigoXP Music lounges. 

He is a proud father of two beautiful daughters and resides in Bengaluru with his loving family and a lifetime collection of books and gadgets. An avid traveller, he has already pinged more than hundred cities from 5 major continents around the globe. 

A tech entrepreneur, who is passionate about policy, technology, economy and philosophy from ancient India. His favourite pastime is to research synergy between these facets of society. He earned his qualifications from the top 10 global universities; an MS Engineering from the ETH Zurich and an MBA Finance from the London Business School.