Section 377 verdict: India Inc is working on more inclusive workplaces

LGBTQ-friendly workplaces and policies are not entirely new, but India Inc has a lot of ground to cover to achieve optimal diversity and inclusivity, write Manavi Kapur and Amrita Singh

On September 6, the Supreme Court struck down the colonial-era Section 377, effectively decriminalising homosexual relationships. What followed was a series of celebrations across the country, from fashionable soirées to quieter dinners. Jaspreet Singh (name changed on request), a 24-year-old executive who works for a Mumbai-based financial services company, didn’t join any though. He was still preoccupied with concealing his sexuality from his co-workers. “I hear people making homophobic jokes all the time and I don’t think I’m ready to be out to my colleagues,” he says. When he is quizzed about a girlfriend, in classically Indian nosy style, he