Many companies around the globe have begun to pay particular attention lately to the LGBTQ+ community, including celebrating Pride Month in June (a month-long celebration honouring the struggles of LGBTQ+ individuals around the globe and commemorating the Stonewall Riots that laid the foundation of the gay rights movement in the USA and subsequently, all over the globe). However, the question remains if they genuinely believe in workplace diversity and inclusion, or if it is all just a “publicity stunt”? This essay will set out the need for research on the experiences of transgender and gender-variant people in the employment sector and explain a few barriers to this research in the context of India. The essay will also seek to decolonise the term “transgender” by looking at gender-variant communities in India,  and the laws that have come to affect the transgender community.

By Swakshadip Sarkar

Published 10 May, 2022