Who is Menaka Guruswamy, India’s first openly queer MP in Rajya Sabha

Guruswamy is widely known for her work as a constitutional lawyer. She was among the key legal figures involved in the landmark 2018 case before the Supreme Court of India that led to the reading down of Section 377, effectively decriminalising homosexuality in India.

With her entry into Parliament, Guruswamy joins a select group of legal professionals who have transitioned from the courtroom to the legislature. Her appointment is being seen as a step forward in expanding representation for historically underrepresented communities in Indian politics.

Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy took oath today as a Member of Parliament, becoming India’s first openly queer MP. She is known for her role as one of the lawyers who argued in the #SupremeCourt during the case that led to the reading down of Section 377 in 2018.
Guruswamy has… pic.twitter.com/WjIRhr9wqW

— The Quint (@TheQuint) April 6, 2026

Who is Menaka Guruswamy?

Menaka Guruswamy was fielded by the Trinamool Congress and was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from West Bengal. 
Born in Hyderabad in 1974, Guruswamy has built a distinguished legal career, having studied at institutions such as the University of Oxford, Harvard Law School, and the National Law School of India University. 

She has also worked as a professor in several universities and advised international organisations, including the United Nations, on human rights issues.

Guruswamy was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford and a Gammon fellow at Harvard. She has also served as visiting faculty at Yale Law School, New York University School of Law, and the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. Between 2017 and 2019, she served as the BR Ambedkar research scholar and lecturer in law at Columbia Law School, teaching courses on constitutional design in post-conflict democracies.

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Her role in the Section 377 case remains one of the defining moments of her career. Arguing for the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals, she contributed to a judgment that reshaped India’s legal and social landscape by striking down a colonial-era provision.

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She was named among the 100 most influential global thinkers by Foreign Policy magazine in 2019 and, along with Arundhati Katju, was featured in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people the same year.