Pride Month Special: History owes an apology to the LGBTQI community, says Celina Jaitly

Celina Jaitly shares that while our country has repealed its colonial-era laws that directly discriminated against the LGBTQIA+ communities in India, many legal protections have not been provided for.

As someone who calls herself a lifelong ally of the LGBTQIA+ community, actor Celina Jaitly feels that there is still a long way to go before the community is fully emancipated.

Celina Jaitly is the UN Human Rights Equality Champion and has been an activist for the LGBTQIA+ for over two decades now.

The UN Human Rights Equality Champion, the actor has been an activist for the LGBTQIA+ for over two decades now. She says, “This Pride month, I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate all those who fought for LGBTQIA+ rights in India. It has been a long journey and history owes an apology to the community. Besides my 20 years of activism for the community I have had the great honour to do some wonderful work for the LGBTQIA+ community with United Nations free and equal campaign and it truly has been a calling of the soul.”

Jaitly shares that while our country has repealed its colonial-era laws that directly discriminated against the LGBTQIA+ communities, many legal protections have not been provided for, “including same-sex marriage, any recognition relationship, family rights and adoption.”

She goes on to elaborate, “In addition, I would like to see The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill to be more progressive. The same bill was updated and reproduced as Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019, which changes the definition of ‘transgender’ and does away with the criminalisation of begging. It also provides for penal provisions for crimes committed against the transgender community.”

However, the 39-year-old adds that though flawed, the Transgender Rights Bill remains the product of one of the longest and most powerful transgender rights movements.

“Having said that, I sincerely hope to see a coalition of committed organisations big and small, corporates and hopefully one day our government too, to reach out to those with different perspectives and respectfully engage them in promoting greater LGBTQIA+ inclusion promises and legal obligations to bring real and substantial inclusive environments at work for all,” concludes Jaitly .