In recent years, several Indian companies have introduced diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives focused on LGBTQIA+ inclusion, and the momentum is visible. According to the India Workplace Equality Index 2024, over 90% of participating organisations now offer same-sex partner healthcare and are compliant with the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019. With companies like Accenture, Deloitte, JP Morgan Chase, The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group and Citibank among its top scorers, the Index signals a shifting tide in how
In recent years, several Indian companies have introduced diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives focused on LGBTQIA+ inclusion, and the momentum is visible. According to the India Workplace Equality Index 2024, over 90% of participating organisations now offer same-sex partner healthcare and are compliant with the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019. With companies like Accenture, Deloitte, JP Morgan Chase, The Lalit Suri Hospitality Group and Citibank among its top scorers, the Index signals a shifting tide in how India Inc. is embracing inclusion.
But the potential of India’s queer and trans communities extends far beyond what corporate boardrooms represent. More than a decade ago, a World Bank study estimated that improving LGBTQIA+ workforce participation could boost India’s GDP by up to $30 billion annually. Recent research on India’s ‘pink economy’ values LGBTQIA+ consumers and talent at an estimated $168 billion in purchasing power. These figures tell a consistent story over time: exclusion carries deep economic costs, and recognising the generative force of this talent pool can unlock significant opportunity.
While DEI efforts in corporate India are expanding, some of the most innovative models of LGBTQIA+ economic inclusion are being shaped outside formal boardrooms by community-led organisations rooted in lived experience. As the future of work evolves through digitalisation and new employment structures, these models offer valuable insights into inclusive growth.
Non-profits like TWEET Foundation are addressing entrenched barriers faced by trans individuals by focusing on skills development and employment access. These programmes combine vocational training, job placement support, and sustained awareness campaigns, to shift both opportunity and perception. In rural West Bengal, Karna Subarna Welfare Society’s zero-waste farm, led by transwomen, integrates climate action with community leadership. Elsewhere, organisations like Aravani Art Project are supporting LGBTQIA+ artists to strengthen their economic as well as social participation through creative expression.
What unites these efforts is a broader vision of economic inclusion that expands beyond income, towards nurturing queer leadership, stability, and dignity.
While corporate India has made meaningful strides, challenges remain. Economic independence can be a lifeline for LGBTQIA+ individuals who often lack basic socioeconomic stability. Yet, workplace entry and retention remain uneven. Studies estimate that almost 40% of corporate LGBTQIA+ employees report experiencing harassment at work, while up to 80% trans individuals, despite having skills, continue to work in informal sectors.
Here, companies can engage not just as employers, but as co-creators of inclusive ecosystems. Strategic partnerships with queer and trans-led community organisations can help companies strengthen their inclusion efforts. This might include engaging these groups to train managers on inclusive hiring, co-developing gender-affirming workplace policies, or building talent pipelines from community-led skilling programmes. When built on mutual trust and domain expertise, such collaborations help companies translate intent into sustained, systemic inclusion while supporting leadership within LGBTQIA+ communities.
The CSR funding ecosystem is especially well-placed to bridge this gap. With skilling, livelihoods, and inclusion already recognised areas under CSR law, companies can increasingly support community-led programs. One example is the recently launched Pride Fund – India’s first philanthropic vehicle for LGBTQIA+ communities which channels sustained, structured, and patient capital to LGBTQIA+-led organisations working in underserved geographies and demographics. Beyond this, there are other promising efforts, from skilling initiatives for queer youth to health outreach and employment pilots across sectors such as hospitality, retail, and beauty.
But this is just the beginning. There is scope for companies to go further by co-creating green livelihoods in climate-vulnerable regions, supporting queer-led mental health programmes, or funding rural arts fellowships that centre LGBTQIA+ voices. Such investments not only contribute to inclusive development but also build long-term value in a changing talent economy.
As India reimagines its economic future shaped by digital transformation and emerging creative economies, this is a timely opportunity to expand inclusion efforts.
Queer and trans individuals have long adapted in the face of intersecting challenges, often creating new models of livelihood rooted in care, creativity, and community. In today’s shifting landscape, these models offer insight into how work can be reimagined to centre dignity, equity and inclusion.
While India Inc. has made meaningful strides toward LGBTQIA+ inclusion, the next frontier is clear: partnering with communities not just as beneficiaries, but as co-creators of talent, innovation, and resilience. CSR offers a powerful channel to do this by supporting livelihoods, leadership, and systems shaped by those who know what inclusion truly takes. In building with them, businesses won’t just strengthen their social impact, they’ll future-proof it.
This article is authored by Keshav Suri, executive director, Lalit Suri Hospitality Group and founder, Keshav Suri Foundation and Parmesh Shahani, head, Godrej DEI Lab.
One Subscription.
Get 360° coverage—from daily headlines
to 100 year archives.
Archives
HT App & Website