In this article, we will discuss History of Recognition of LGBTQIA+ In India. So, let’s get started.
History of Recognition of LGBTQIA+ In India
- Ancient India was about acceptance and celebration of all forms of love and neutrality to the idea of homosexuality.
- Visual example is the Khajuraho Temple of Madhya Pradesh, showcasing the existence of sexual fluidity between homosexuals.
- In 1861, Britishers considered sexual activities “against the order of nature” including all homosexual activities were criminalized under section 377 of the Indian Penal Code.
- In 1977, Shakuntala Devi published the first study of homosexuality in India, called “The World of Homosexuals”.
- It called for “full and complete acceptance and not just tolerance and sympathy”.
- In 1994, they were legally granted voting rights as a third sex.
- In 2014, the Supreme Court of India ruled that transgender people should be treated as the third category of gender.
- In 2017, the Supreme Court gave the country’s LGBTQ community the freedom to safely express their sexual orientation.
- An individual’s sexual orientation was protected by the Right to Privacy.
- On 6 September 2018, the Supreme Court struck down the part of Section 377 which criminalized consensual homosexual activities.
- In 2019, Parliament enacted Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act with an objective to provide for protection of rights of transgender people, their welfare, and other related matters.
