Who Is Menaka Guruswamy? India On The Brink Of Its First Openly Queer MP

The decision by All India Trinamool Congress to nominate Menaka Guruswamy to the Rajya Sabha is not just another addition to the candidate list. If elected, Guruswamy would become India’s first openly queer Member of Parliament,  a moment that would not just make history but firmly announce that LGBTQ+ Indians belong not at the margins of power but at its very core.

Who Is Menaka Guruswamy?

Representation In Parliament

Indian politics has long discussed inclusion, but visible LGBTQ+ representation inside Parliament has been missing. Change has usually come from courtrooms and public activism, not from inside the legislature. Guruswamy’s nomination shifts that pattern in a way that is hard to ignore.

Her possible entry into the Rajya Sabha brings a constitutional lawyer who is shaped by fighting some of the most important legal battles right into the heart of the legislature. For many queer Indians, this is about finally seeing someone like them in a space that writes the rules of the country.

Over the years, the Trinamool Congress has positioned itself as a party that prioritises representation. In the 18th Lok Sabha, 38%  of its MPs are women, and 11 of the 12 women candidates fielded won their seats. The party has consistently pushed women and marginalised voices into visible political roles. Guruswamy’s nomination now extends that commitment to the LGBTQ+ community.

Defining Cases

Menaka Guruswamy was one of the lawyers behind the 2018 verdict in Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India. The judgment read down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (a colonial era provision that had criminalised consensual same sex relationships between adults).

It became one of the landmark moments of her career. For the first time, LGBTQ+ Indians directly approached the Supreme Court to assert that their fundamental rights had been violated. The verdict was not just a legal correction; it gave millions back their dignity.

This was not the only work that defined her career.

Guruswamy has represented the West Bengal government in various cases, including the rape and murder of a doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in August 2024.

In T.S.R. Subramanian v. Union of India, she argued for bureaucratic independence, where the Court held that civil servants must rely on written orders and called for structural reforms in postings and transfers.

In Society for Unaided Private Schools of Rajasthan v. Union of India, she defended the constitutionality of the Right to Education provision that required private schools to reserve 25% seats for children from weaker sections.

She also served as amicus curiae(a court-appointed independent legal advisor who assists the bench in complex matters) in cases concerning alleged extrajudicial killings in Manipur, where she pushed for an independent investigation. In 2019, she was designated Senior Advocate by the Supreme Court of India.

Now, as she stands on the brink of entering Parliament, her journey feels powerful. From defending constitutional rights inside courtrooms to now potentially shaping laws inside the legislature, her path reflects a complete arc.