Congress MP to float bill for LGBT inclusion in Lok Sabha, state Assemblies

Hibi Eden, a Congress MP from Kerala’s Ernakulam, is planning to introduce the bill

A Congress MP is planning to bring a private member’s bill in the Lok Sabha seeking nomination of two people from the LGBT community in Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, saying their presence in lawmaking bodies would help in breaking down intolerance and building alliances that cut across pre-existing cleavages within society.

Hibi Eden, the MP from Kerala’s Ernakulam, has proposed to move a bill to amend Articles 170 and 330 in the Constitution to provide for nominating a maximum of two people from the community.

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According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill, established literature argues that the representation of minorities in legislative forums improves the realisation of their policy preferences and the position of the group within the country as a whole.

However, it said, the LGBT community had been left behind vis-a-vis such representation.

“If the inclusion of LGBT persons in the legislature happens it will be an indicator of the strength of democracy. Without some visible inclusion of the faces and voices of the historically marginalized sections, it is unlikely that the interests of such groups will be at the forefront of decision makers’ minds,” Eden said in his bill.

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The Bill says the path to the right to representation for LGBT groups needs a combination of courage and political wisdom. There is clear evidence to suggest that the inclusion of marginalised groups is correlated with policy benefits for that group, it said.

“The presence of LGBT persons in legislative forums aids in breaking down intolerance and in building alliances that cut across pre-existing cleavages within society,” it added.