'Fundamental principle of democracy is that no decision about us can be made without our inclusion in government.'
Transgender rights activist Akkai Padmashali writes to President Murmu. (Twitter)
Bengaluru-based transgender rights activist Akkai Padmashali has written a letter to the President of India Droupadi Murmu about how the LGBTQIA+ community members in the country are yearning for inclusion into the “spectrum of political representation”.
The letter was sent to the President’s Office on Wednesday, 17 May, on the occasion of the International Day against Homosexual, Bisexual, Intersex, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), observed globally. The letter was sent as a reminder that the nation needs to encourage LGBTQIA+ inclusion in society and government.
“We are writing to you, the first citizen of our country, to request that you ensure our community is represented in the world of politics. In the thousands of representative posts across the spectrum of political representations, from state assemblies and state legislative councils to the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, there is not a single LGBTQIA+ representative, I repeat, not a single member of the community’s leadership!” Akkai wrote in her letter.
To, Her Excellency
Smt Droupadi Murmu Ji
Honourable President of India" @rashtrapatibhvn
Requesting your intervention on the "International Day Against Transhphobia Homophobia, Biphobia to eradicate stigma and discrimination through system of political structures" Thank you pic.twitter.com/eLlOeP4YUp— Akkai Padmashali (@PadmashaliAkkai) May 17, 2023
She added, “For a community that some studies have estimated to comprise approximately 10 percent of the population, this total absence of a voice in the institutions of Indian democracy reveals a serious deficiency in Indian democracy. This lack of representation of a substantial portion of Indian society in all its rainbow hues does not appear to trouble the government.”
Touching upon the Union government’s opposition to equality in marriage in the Supreme Court, Akkai stated that it was shocking for the community when the Union government repeatedly asserted that the issue of LGBTQIA+ rights to equal marriage should be decided by Parliament.
This is despite the fact that the Parliament did not contain a single LGBTQIA+ member.
“If the Union of India argues that the Parliament should decide what rights LGBTQIA+ individuals should have, then the government must take steps to ensure that LGBTQIA+ individuals are represented in the Parliament. It is a fundamental principle of democracy that no decision about us can be made without our participation,” Akkai stated in the letter.
The activist urged the President to take action to ensure that the vibrant and diverse Indian democracy will also begin to reflect the rainbow colours of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Only then will democracy transform from what Babasaheb Ambedkar termed a “top dressing on Indian soil that is fundamentally undemocratic” into a institution that accurately reflects India’s diversity, she concluded.
In December, Akkai Padmashali had written an open letter to BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi when he made remarks in the Rajya Sabha regarding same-sex marriage. She had urged Modi to tender an apology to the LGBTQI community for the hurt that he had caused with his remarks.
In the Upper House of Parliament, the MP had said that same-sex marriages should not be legalised in the country and the issue cannot be decided by courts where two judges can sit and take a decision on a social issue.
Modi also said that there should rather be a debate in Parliament and society as attempts were being made by left-liberal activists to legalise same-sex marriages by aping the West.
The renowned Bengaluru-based transgender activist, in her open letter, said that she was deeply disturbed to hear Sushil Kumar Modi’s speech warning against legal recognition for same sex marriage.
“As a transgender person who is a part of the ‘Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Intersex Jogappa Marladi++ movement, I believe that the right to marry should be applicable to all persons and not restricted to Men and Women,” Akkai stated.
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