HYDERABAD: The Section 377 judgment, which decriminalised same-sex relations in India, is a baby step towards building discrimination-free workplaces and society. Two years after the judgment, a few corporate companies are taking measures to protect the interests of the LGBT+ community, and offer them equal opportunities.
In a virtual open house session on ‘Enhancing Employability and Job Opportunities for the LGBT+ community’ hosted by the British Deputy High Commission and Moberra Foundation, HR leaders, community members, and allies talked on how to provide a safe and fair working environment to the group. Transgender rights activist Vyjayanti Vasanta Mogli was the moderator for the session.
During his opening remarks, Dr Andrew Fleming, British Deputy High Commissioner to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, said, “Like the UK, India has now seen significant progress on LGBT+ rights. However, during the pandemic, we saw the struggle that transgenders faced. Due to lack of identity proofs, this traditionally oppressed group failed to secure rations. Some of them were kicked out of their homes by landlords. We are committed to improve the living conditions of all sections of society. We are proud to work with a number of Indian organisations committed to promoting and advancing LGBT+ rights. This event is another step in that direction.”
Talking about government encouragement in this direction, Jayesh Ranjan, principal secretary of IT & C to Telangana government, talked about Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge (TASK). “Through this initiative, we reach out to all sections of the society and provide them skills training free of cost. We focus on soft skills and assist them in getting jobs. We have worked extensively with People with Disabilities, and would love to work with the LGBT+ group.”
Suggesting a few steps that can make a workplace more inclusive for the group, Suresh Kumar SVS, who is the talent acquisition partner at IBM, said: “We should address members of the community using their preferred pronouns. We should also avoid asking them intrusive personal questions. We should listen more. We must remember that they need our empathy, not sympathy.”
Mental health support is a priority for sexual minority groups, and the corporates recognise these too. Srikant Venkata, talent attraction manager at the Natwest group, said: “We have therapists in our company who specialise in LGBT+ counselling. We have redesigned our induction programme to be more inclusive. We also counsel employees who are not well-versed with digital etiquettes.”
However, there is a long way to go before we can claim that member from sexual minority groups are being given equal opportunities at workplaces. As pointed out by Vyjayanti, transgender people, who are forced to take up begging or sex work as sources of livelihood, have petty cases lodged against them by police and they get filtered out by corporate companies.
Around 50 persons, mostly members of LGBT+ community and allies, attended the event. Mobbera Foundation is a Hyderabad-based NGO that works primarily on human rights.