India’s new workplace equality index has become a sign of how far the country is moving forward when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights.
India’s groundbreaking equality index is a promising prospect of wider recognition of the LGBTQ+ community in more formal and professional environments. The index is India’s first regulation for employers to measure LGBTQ+ inclusion and visibility in the workplace. The new index, which is a comprehensive benchmarking tool for employers to measure their progress on lesbian, gay, bi and trans (LGBT+) inclusion in the workplace measures nine areas: policies and benefits, employee lifecycle, employee network group, allies and role models, senior leadership, monitoring, procurement, community engagement and additional work. Over 65 organisations registered for the India’s workplace equality index with over 15 organisations qualifying for gold, silver, and bronze recognition. However, 13 did not qualify for the minimum threshold of LGBTQ+ inclusivity. This new equality index legislation has arrived two years after the Indian Supreme Court’s historic decision to repeal Section 377 in 2018, which made criminalised sexual consensual acts between adults. Since then, India has seen a huge step forward towards LGBTQ+ political recognition.