The Tamil Nadu government has constituted a drafting committee to finalise the policy for LGBTQIA+ community in the state. In a Government Order (GO) dated June 21, 2023, Principal Secretary to the Social Welfare and Women Empowerment Department announced the constitution of a 11-member committee headed by the director of social welfare. The committee has been directed to submit the policy to the government within 45 days.
The State Planning Commission had, in October 2022, presented to the Chief Minister MK Stalin, a draft policy for LGBTQIA+ community, which was then forwarded to the Social Welfare and Women Empowerment department in November 2022. The Director of Social Welfare, in February 2023, had sent a proposal to the government for the constitution of a drafting committee including persons from the LGBTQIA+ community, to frame a final policy.
The committee’s members are: transgender activist Kalaimamani Sudha from the NGO Sahodharan, trans man Arun Karthick and psychologist Dr Vidhya Dinakaran from the Tamil Nadu Transgender Welfare Board, vice president of NGO SAATHII L Ramakrishnan, co-founder of Queer Chennai Chronicles Chandramoulee, intersex, disabilities and Dalit activist Vinodhan, LGBTQIA+ activist Busaina Ahamed Shah, Madras High Court advocate Ajeetha BS, and IIT MAdras Associate Professor Tiju Thomas, with the joint director of Directorate of Social Welfare as the coordinator.
The state government, in December 2022, had informed the Madras High Court that the director of social welfare conducted a virtual meeting with the community members and submitted a report on the same in December 2022. The government also sought three months time to finalise the policy.