Continuous effort needed to remove prejudices against LGBTQIA+ persons: Madras High Court

The Madras High Court on Monday said that continuous efforts need to be made tackle prejudices against the LGBTQIA+ community. However, the court appreciated the efforts taken by the Tamil Nadu government to prevent the harassment of members of the community, Bar and Bench reported.

The court was hearing a petition filed by a lesbian couple seeking protection against harassment from the police and their families. In their plea filed in June, the couple had accused the police of asking harassing questions while investigating a missing person’s report filed by the parents of the one of the woman.

“We are dealing with a situation where the deeply embedded prejudice has to be effaced and therefore, it requires continuous effort on the part of all the stakeholders,” Justice N Anand Venkatesh observed during Monday’s hearing on the matter.

In earlier hearings of the case, the High Court had suggested a slew of measures, including changes to the laws and the curricula of educational institutions, to remove prejudices against the LGBTQIA+ community.

Venkatesh himself had undergone an educational session with a psychologist to understand same-sex relationships better. In an interim order passed earlier, the judge had referred to the petitioners, Vidya Dinakaran and Trinetra, as his “gurus” (teachers), for “pulling him out of darkness”.

On Monday, the…

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