Queeristan: LGBTQ Inclusion in the Indian Workplace

The reading down of Section 377 by the Supreme Court in 2018 has led to a fundamental shift in the rights of India’s LGBTQ citizens and necessitated policy changes across the board—not least in the conservative world of Indian business.
In this path-breaking and genre-defying book, Parmesh Shahani—vice president at Godrej Industries Ltd—draws from his decade-long journey in the corporate world as an out and proud gay man, to make a cogent case for LGBTQ inclusion and lay down a step-by-step guide to reshaping office culture in India. He talks to inclusion champions and business leaders about how they worked towards change; traces the benefits reaped by industry giants like Godrej, Tata Steel, IBM, Wipro, the Lalit group of hotels and many others who have tapped into the power of diversity; and shares the stories of employees whose lives were revolutionised by LGBTQ-friendly workspaces.
In this affecting memoir-cum-manifesto, Shahani animates the data and strategy with intimate stories of love and family. Even as it becomes an expansive reference book of history, literature, cinema, movements, institutions and icons of the LGBTQ community, Queeristan drives home a singular point—in diversity and inclusion lies the promise of an equitable and profitable future, for companies, their employees and the society at large.
‘It is time that families, companies and countries wake up to the reality that queer rights are basic human rights. … Queeristan is just what India and the world need—a manifesto on what to do and where to gowith queer rights now!’
—Sonam K. Ahuja, actor
‘Queeristan is a business book that sparkles!’
—LEE BADGETT, author of The Economic Case for LGBT Equality: Why Fair and Equal Treatment Benefits Us All
‘Queeristan is an important book for a post-September- 2018 world, after the Supreme Court decriminalised ho- mosexuality in India. Parmesh Shahani rightly recognises that India’s private sector will be a major driving force in making the country one in which LGBT Indians will be equal citizens.’
—Menaka Guruswamy, senior advocate, Supreme Court of India
‘A must-read for anyone who wants to create a more inclusive organisation or, for that matter, help create a preju- dice-free world.’
—T.V. Narandran, CEO and managing director, Tata Steel Ltd
‘Parmesh has made a newer, sexier and queerer call for social justice in India. … Rigorously researched and empiri- cally rich, this book is full of hope and not afraid of the future.’
—Suraj Yengde, author of Caste Matters