Changing Social Attitudes towards LGBTQ+ Communities in Contemporary India: Legal Milestones, Cultural Shifts and Persistent Barriers

Over the past decade and a half, the position of LGBTQ+ persons in Indian public life has undergone a transformation that few observers would have predicted in the early 2000s. Three Supreme Court judgements have reshaped the constitutional terrain — National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India (2014), which recognised transgender persons as a ‘third gender’; Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India (2018), which read down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code; and Supriyo @ Supriya Chakraborty v. Union of India (2023), which declined to recognise same-sex marriage while affirming the dignity of queer relationships.