HYDERABAD: Hyderabad-born Supreme Court senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy, nominated by the All India Trinamul Congress to the Rajya Sabha, could become the first openly LGBTQIA+ person in Parliament. The party announced her candidature on Friday.
In a post on X, Guruswamy said, “I am deeply honoured… .Our Constitution’s values of equality, fraternity & non-discrimination have guided my life & work, I hope to carry these ideals forward into Parliament,” adding that she looked forward to representing the people of West Bengal and serving “We the People of India.”
In Hyderabad, where Guruswamy traces her early years and family roots, the nomination opens a space for a discussion about representation accountability, and more. She is the daughter of Mohan Guruswamy, Deccan Chronicle columnist and expert in Chinese affairs.
“This is a great opportunity for the LGBTQ community across the country because this is the first time an openly LGBTQ person is being represented in the political system,” said Anil, an LGBTQIA+ activist in Hyderabad.
Guruswamy was born in Hyderabad and attended Hyderabad Public School before completing her schooling in Delhi. She later studied at NLSIU, Bengaluru, went to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar for higher legal studies, and pursued an LLM at Harvard Law School. Her legal career at the Supreme Court has included constitutional litigation, and she is widely associated with the 2018 verdict reading down Section 377 for consenting adults. In July 2019, she and Arundhati Katju appeared on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS, where they publicly acknowledged being a couple. That same year, the two were named to TIME’s 100 list.
Anil said, “Representation in decision-making positions is very important and critical because it allows community voices to be taken into the political space.” He argued that state governments have largely focused on trans women and trans men while broader sections of the spectrum remain sidelined. “Only trans representation is not enough to take the diverse LGBTQ community ahead.”
He described Guruswamy’s nomination as “definitely a stepping stone,” adding that while it may not resolve entrenched exclusions overnight, it could widen conversations on education, employment, policy-making and recognition of non-binary individuals as equal citizens.
The endorsement, however, does not close the argument. Artist and LGBTQIA+ activist Patruni Chidananda Sastry acknowledged Guruswamy’s “historic work” in recent years but said, “People in positions of power and privilege need to use that position to safeguard the overall arc of the community. While the community may get representation once she is in Parliament, how far will that help the overall community is the bigger question.”
Sastry referred to instances where, in his view, Guruswamy took positions that diverged from broader LGBTQIA+ activism, including matters related to student protests and political alignments. He asked whether someone who has “in multiple instances never shown the courage to question governments or speak for the community” would be able to represent queer voices effectively in Parliament.
In all, the Election Commission has issued notifications for 37 Rajya Sabha seats across 10 states. Polling has been scheduled for March 16, with nominations open until March 5.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
