Equal Rights activist Harish Iyer has been appointed to the National Human Rights Commission’s (NHRC) Core Group on Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Intersex (LGBTI) issues. The group also includes veteran gay rights activist Ashok Row Kavi, transgender rights activists Gouri Sawant and Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, Naz Foundation Founder/Director Anjali Gopalan among others.
“Not long ago people in India would dismiss LGBTQIA issues as either non-existent or First World problems. It’s about time that we realise that our rights are human rights because we are also living, breathing, thinking people with hopes, dreams and desires,” says Harish Iyer. “Therefore, when the NHRC set up a core group to look into issues that affect the community, it was a long overdue but significant step in the right direction. As a member of the Core Group, I hope to give the community a vibrant voice that will echo in the corridors of power,” he continues.
The group aims to highlight key issues affecting the community, finding and implementing sustainable solutions as well as engaging in creating greater awareness about and acceptance of people from sexual and gender based minorities. The complete NHRC Order on the composition and objectives of the group may be read here: