India has been coming up with legislation for the benefit of the LGBTQIA+ community but the truth is that for the longest time, people from this community have had to hide their identity for fear of social persecution.
They¡¯ve had to raise their voice, fight for their rights and own their identity through decades-long struggles. But one can¡¯t help but be inspired by their stories of courage. They¡¯ve stood up for themselves and through that, supported the people from their community.
Here are the inspiring stories of 11 LGBTQIA+ people from India that will warm even the coldest of all hearts:
The first Sikh to take up Bharatnatyam as a dance form, Navtej is a Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee and is a known name when it comes to the dance form being practiced in India. In June 2016, Johar and five others from the LGBT community , filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court of India challenging Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. In the year 2018, Navtej Singh Johar and others v. Union of India became a landmark case when the Supreme Court unanimously declared the law unconstitutional "in so far as it criminalises consensual sexual conduct between adults of the same sex"
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Gauri became a known face after getting featured in an advertisement for Vicks but has been an activist for transgender rights since much longer. In fact, in 2014 she became the first transgender individual to file a petition with the Supreme Court of India for adoption rights of transgender people. This made sense since she had adopted a girl child in the year 2008 after the baby¡¯s mother, who was a sex worker, passed away. Her part in the fight for rights has been a considerable one given that she was also a petitioner in the National Legal Services Authority case in which the Supreme Court recognised transgender as the third gender.
She¡¯s an Indian professional sprinter. Her sports accolades are many but she was recently applauded for coming out publicly. She declared that she¡¯s in a same-sex relationship. She is now, India¡¯s first and only openly gay athlete.
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Harish Iyer has appeared on Amir Khan¡¯s Satyamev Jayate and has had a strong voice supporting the LGBTQIA+ community. However, he set a historic record by becoming the first openly gay inidividual in India to join a political party.
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Anwesh came out to his sister at the age of 16 and since the age of 18, has been writing extensively to dispel the stereotypes people have about people from the LGBTQIA+ since he was severely bullied as a child in school. Anwesh went on to become the youngest winner of the Mr. Gay World India in 2016 and since, then has also become a public speaker.
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Keshav is the Executive Director of The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group but is also a social activist who has, through his entrepreneurial ventures, created safe spaces as well as professional opportunities for the LGBTQIA+.
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He¡¯s the first royal in India to come out as homosexual after which he started a trust called the Lakshya Trust to educate people from the LGBTQIA+ individuals about protected sex. Moreover, the trust also offers counselling sessions and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. While he had to face a lot socially after coming out, that didn¡¯t deter him from making efforts towards the well-being of one of the most marginalised communities in India.
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An extremely famous novelist and poet, Vikram identifies as bisexual. He has brought in a homosexual narrative through his writing, which in itself is an achievement given that he started writing at a time when homosexuality as a concept didn¡¯t just lack narrative but also legality in India.
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The first trangender to play a lead role in an Indian movie, Anjali has had a long journey. She lost her parents at a young age and even as a kid felt more attracted to feminine things. She actually moved away from home when her family wasn¡¯t very supportive and lived with transgender communities. However, she also dabbled in modeling at the time and soon, acting happened. We hope to see more of her work.
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Atri wanted to sit for civil service exams but noticed that there were only two options under the category of gender. There was a long legal battle before which she could sit down to take the exam as a trangender and in doing so, she became India¡¯s first trangender to do so.
Aishwarya is India¡¯s first openly transgender civil servant and works with the Indian Financial Services. She legally changed her gender identity after the 2014 Supreme Court ruling which recognised individuals from the transgender community as the third gender.
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