Dr.Sashi Tharoor’s Private Member’s Bill on Section 377 and way forward

Till date, the Indian parliament has passed 15 Private Member’s Bill. The Transgender’s rights bill introduced by MP Trichy Shiva hasn’t made much improvement in the lives of transgender individuals.

On December 18th 2015, Congress MP Dr. Sashi Tharoor tried to introduce a Private Member’s bill to amend Section 377. There was a massive opposition for the bill and many rightfully thought that it was not worthy enough to even discuss about the issue.

Twenty four MPs voted ‘yes’ for the bill, 74 MPs voted ‘no’ and one abstained from voting. Given the current political scenario, one must not be shocked to hear that the bill was not passed.

News is that none of the queer activists in the country have been consulted before drafting the bill. The bill itself was sloppy and had multiple issues. That is a different story. So what we can do now is to engage with Dr. Sashi Tharoor and maybe help him draft a better bill. Also, it is important to identify the other MPs who voted yes and engage with them. These tactical political moves would help us to take the queer movement in India to next level.