Menaka Guruswamy, an openly queer lawyer, has become India’s first out LGBTQ+ to become an MP in the Rajya Sabha, the country’s upper house.

Representing West Bengal, the politician is a member of All India Trinamool Congress, a centre-to-centre-left-leaning party. Guruswamy, along with 19 other new MPs, was sworn in yesterday, April 6, 2026.

In India, members of the Rajya Sabha are elected indirectly by state legislators rather than by public vote. Following her nomination by the All India Trinamool Congress, Guruswamy took to X to say she was “deeply honoured” to be selected by the party as MP.

“Our Constitution’s values of equality, fraternity & non-discrimination have guided my life & work, I hope to carry these ideals forward into Parliament. I look forward to representing the interests of the people of West Bengal & to serve ‘We the People’ of India,” she wrote.

Prior to her appointment, Guruswamy worked as a lawyer and is perhaps best known for her role in the constitutional challenge to Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which resulted in the decriminalisation of consensual same-sex relations in the country. Guruswamy was among the lawyers who helped secure the landmark verdict in 2018, in a milestone moment for the LGBTQ+ community in the country.

In addition to this landmark challenge, Guruswamy worked on several constitutional and human rights cases. In 2019, the Supreme Court of India appointed her as a Senior Advocate, one of the highest designations a lawyer can receive in India.

Guruswamy also has a prolific academic career and has lectured at Columbia Law School, Yale Law School, the University of Toronto and New York University School of Law.

Beyond her reputation in India, Guruswamy has won international acclaim. In 2019, she featured on the Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. That same year, she was included in Forbes India‘s List of Women-Power Trailblazers.