The LGBT+ community in India has fought (and continues to fight) a long and hard battle for inclusion. Landmark decisions by the Indian higher judiciary in the last decade are a product of the community’s advocacy efforts. They have ushered in a new age for LGBT+ rights in India by recognising the right to the self-identification of gender and by decriminalising homosexuality.

However, India has a long way to go before its legal framework fully protects the human rights of the LGBT+ community and ensures substantive equality. Laws relating to employment, family, inheritance, marriage and violence continue to exclude LGBT+ lives in different ways, often by failing to account for their unique lived experiences. 

Vidhi firmly supports reforms to this legal framework that are a product of wide consultations within the LGBT+ community. Its work aims to supplement the efforts of the community through legal research, strategic legal advice and legislative drafting assistance. 

In keeping with this objective, Vidhi has created a manual to help queer persons navigate various aspects of their everyday lives, such as education and identity documents and personal finances. It has also created a set of reports that analyse India’s legal regime across selected areas, from the perspective of LGBT+ inclusion. These are intended as resources for the LGBT+ community to facilitate conversations on legal advocacy strategies.

Vidhi will continue to engage with the LGBT+ community to identify barriers to their inclusion and to co-create solutions for legal reform.