New Delhi: At the launch of ‘Queering the Law: Beyond Supriyo’ – a first-of-its-kind set of policy recommendations aimed at making India’s legal system inclusive of queer individuals – Jyotsna Suri of the Keshav Suri Foundation stated the importance of every queer person in India being able to live with “freedom, equality, dignity and pride”.It is precisely this vision that ‘Queering the Law’, brought by the foundation in collaboration with Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, looks to advance for the benefit of an entire community across India, by challenging existing legal norms in principle as well as in practice. The launch event took place on July 12 in New Delhi.The policy brief emerges in response to the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Supriyo v. Union of India (2023), in which the apex court acknowledged the discrimination faced by queer individuals due to the lack of legal recognition for their relationships.Retired Supreme Court judge Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, speaking at the launch, said, “The judiciary must perform the role of a catalyst” in advancing queer rights. While recent administrative steps show progress, deep-rooted social conservatism continues to exclude the queer community from full legal recognition, he noted.Still, he expressed optimism, noting growing acceptance among the current and future generation. “I truly believe that the future is more promising than what is behind us, and in the words of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, ‘Hope will never be silent’,” said Justice Kaul.As stated by Jwalika Balaji, research fellow at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, during the launch, “All of the judges concurred on the fact that discrimination exists against queer people, widely, in several areas of law and therefore, this discrimination has to be addressed by the government.”The Keshav Suri Foundation and Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy make recommendations under four key areas (families, discrimination, healthcare and violence). These aim at reforming laws and policies to ensure equality and inclusion for the queer community.Public consultations held in New Delhi, Mumbai and Jaipur with over 150 participants representing the queer community, including doctors, lawyers, students and concerned citizens in general, served as the foundation for ‘Queering the Law’.“We decided that it would make sense for us to come together and provide more of a forum for people, from all sections of society, to have the widest representation from the queer community to present their views,” said Sunetra Ravindran, senior resident fellow and lead of legal design and regulation at Vidhi. By engaging directly with affected individuals, the policy brief centres queer voices to shape recommendations in each of the key areas.Keshav Suri, founder of the eponymous foundation, stated, “Our nation’s journey towards equality demands collective action. We are proud to present a set of actionable recommendations that chart a path forward, one that ensures dignity, rights, and recognition for LGBTQIA+ individuals”.These ‘actionable recommendations’ include, but are not limited to, the following.Recognition of queer relationships and familiesThe brief recommends amending secular laws such as the Special Marriage Act, 1954 and the Indian Succession Act, 1925 to be gender-neutral and inclusive of queer couples. It proposes a new, comprehensive civil union law to ensure legal recognition for relationships outside traditional marriage. The submission also advocates for a nomination-based legal framework that would allow queer individuals to nominate partners or chosen family for entitlements such as pensions, insurance, and medical decision-making, instead of their biological family. Amendments to adoption laws are suggested to recognise queer and non-marital parenthood.Discrimination and access to goods and servicesThe report urges reforms to existing laws like the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, as well as the introduction of an ‘anti-discrimination law’.“We looked at comprehensive measures that were needed to be taken in this area and then sector-specific reforms,” said Namrata Mukherjee, senior resident fellow at Vidhi, across education, housing, banking, and employment – such as inclusive tenancy laws, financial services free from bias, addressing discrimination in labour laws and making them queer inclusive, and horizontal reservations for transgender persons in public education and employment.Queer-affirmative healthcareTo ensure inclusive healthcare, the brief proposes banning conversion therapy and medically ‘unnecessary’ surgeries on intersex children. It recommends integrating gender-affirmative care in public health systems, revising medical curricula, training healthcare professionals, and ensuring mental health services are accessible and non-discriminatory. It also suggests protection of HIV-AIDS data.Protection from violenceRecognising the multiple forms of violence queer individuals face – from police abuse to natal family coercion – the submission recommends amending police, domestic violence, and workplace harassment laws to protect queer persons. It calls for mandatory police sensitisation, dedicated shelter homes, and grievance redressal systems that account for identity-based violence.Joshua Kullu is an editorial intern at The Wire.