BEYOND SECTION 377: THE RIGHTS INDIA'S QUEER CITIZENS ARE STILL WAITING FOR

There's a photograph I keep thinking about. It's from outside the Supreme Court in October 2023, the day the marriage equality verdict came down. A woman is sitting on the pavement with her face in her hands, not crying from joy. Cameras had been pointed at that spot all morning expecting a celebration. They got something else instead. That moment is worth remembering any time of year, not just when the rainbow flags come out. Because the story people tell about queer rights in India, the "decriminalized in 2018, marching toward progress" story, isn't quite the one that's actually unfolding.