LGBTQ+ traveller context — India
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Editorial notice
This is general public-knowledge framing sourced from ILGA, FCDO and State Department public records. Legal status, social acceptance, and local enforcement change. Verify current status with ILGA World before planning travel.
Legal context — India
Legal status changes; verify with ILGA World's annual report before relying on this for travel decisions.
Same-sex sexual activity
Relationship recognition
Anti-discrimination protections
Gender identity — legal recognition
The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2019 provides recognition but has been criticised for requiring a government certificate and not fully self-identifying.
Context
The Supreme Court decriminalised consensual same-sex activity in 2018 (striking down s. 377 IPC). The Supreme Court declined to legalise same-sex marriage in 2023, leaving the matter to parliament. Social attitudes vary enormously by region, religion, and urban/rural context.
Section 377 was struck down in 2018; same-sex relationships are legal. Social acceptance varies enormously between urban-cosmopolitan and rural-conservative areas. Marriage is not recognised. Cross-reference the FCDO/US State Department briefings for the specific city.
Verify with the authoritative source
ILGA World publishes the most comprehensive annual review of laws and state-sponsored homophobia/transphobia globally. Check the current ILGA report →