Rising cases of discrimination, forced marriage and extortion worry LGBTIQ community

The Bindu Queer Rights Foundation will launch a pre-litigation consultation legal aid cell in Pune tomorrow.

3 min readPuneUpdated: Oct 16, 2024 07:31 PM IST

The Centre last year set up a committee headed by the cabinet secretary to look into issues of same-sex relationships. (File/ Representational Photo)

Even as the Central Government has started nationwide consultations with the LGBTIQ community on steps to be taken for its better treatment, cases of discrimination, forced marriage and extortion through dating apps remain a cause for concern.

Advocate Binduadhav Khire, an LGBTIQ activist from the Bindu Queer Rights Foundation, while talking to The Indian Express, said many in the community do not know the right legal remedies they have when faced with adverse situations.

Khire said the foundation would launch its pre-litigation consultation legal aid cell for the community on October 17 to help the community to get a deeper understanding of the legal challenges and explore options related to forced marriages, discrimination, extortion and related concerns. Khire, said in the past two months they have already provided legal consultation for 7 cases.

The launch of the cell coincides with the first anniversary of Suprio vs Union of India (gay marriage case), where the Supreme Court ruled against same-sex marriage.

The Centre last year set up a committee headed by the cabinet secretary to look into issues of same-sex relationships.

“After discussions with community members, we sent a slew of suggestions to the committee. It is our experience that the affected community members are more open to discussing these sensitive issues with persons who belong to the LGBTIQ community. Hence, we thought it made sense that preliminary legal aid consultation services be provided by LGBTIQ community advocates,” Khire said.

“In the last 10 years, we have reached out to more than 2,000 gay men and transgender people. While the work of advocacy on same-sex marriage continues, the LGBTIQ community continues to face a host of legal problems at the ground level. Lack of awareness/sensitisation of various stakeholders, lack of knowledge of law among the community and paucity of organisations that provide legal and technical support on legal issues continue to plague the LGBTIQ movement in Pune,” Khire said.

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To address these issues, the foundation is initiating a slew of measures to raise legal awareness and understanding on LGBTIQ issues in Pune. As more and more LGBTIQ people come out of the closet, it has become imperative that companies and institutions create a safe environment for these communities. Two important aspects of creating such a safe space are to conduct awareness and sensitisation sessions for staff and to conduct sessions for their internal complaints committee members to increase their understanding of the diversity, equity and inclusion of the LGBTIQ community.

“As part of the long-standing demand of the LGBTIQ community, they have started work on creating a series of short videos on ‘LGBTIQ–Current Status of Law and Medical Science’ to enhance the understanding of the community on legal and medical issues. The pre-litigation cell will operate on second and fourth Saturdays from 10 am to 12 noon.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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