Visibility matters

While there are no surveys that can ascertain the number of LGBTQ+ scientists in India, community members said there were only few in number. Out of fear of ostracisation, many preferred to hide their identities. “I don’t see any reason why I can’t or shouldn’t openly assert my sexuality now, but because of the stigma and taboo experienced in the past, I don’t feel like going through the process again” said a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology-bombay (IIT-B).

While many of his friends and colleagues know that he is gay, this professor has “not come out of the closet entirely”. “So far I have not received any backlash, but that could be because I have shared my truth with only a selected few. I come from a time when discussing sexual orientation