UNHEARD VOICES: LGBTQ+ NARRATIVES IN INDIAN SOCIETY, LITERATURE, CULTURE, AND POLITICS

Abstract

India’s rich cultural heritage has long encompassed diverse gender roles and sexual identities, as evidenced by non‑binary figures in the Ramayana and Mahabharata—Mohini, Aravan, Shikhandi (Mahabharata, Bhishma Parva, Book 6), and Arjun as Brihannala (Virata Parva, Book 4)—and same‑sex relationships in Manusmriti, Kama Sutra, and Sangam literature. Colonial imposition of Section 377 (1861) criminalised these expressions, erasing indigenous understandings of gender and sexuality. Post‑colonial India has made notable legal strides—recognition of a “third gender” in 2014, decriminalisation of consensual queer relations in 2018, and the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act in 2019—yet systemic barriers persist. This study interrogates how literary representations, cultural norms, social practices, and political frameworks in twenty‑first‑century India continue to marginalise LGBTQ+ communities. By mapping enduring myths and misrepresentations across texts, media, and policy, it identifies the obstacles to building an inclusive society that affirms queer existence and advances actionable recommendations for transforming institutional and cultural landscapes.