标题
Beyond the bench: LGBTQ+ health equity after India’s “no same-sex marriage” verdict
摘要
LGBTQ+ people (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning people) experience systemic marginalisation and discrimination globally and throughout India. In October 2023, the Indian Supreme Court rejected the legal recognition of same-sex marriage, blocking marriage equality for LGBTQ+ people and contending that the right to marry neither qualifies as a fundamental right accorded by the Indian Constitution nor falls under the Supreme Court’s purview. Although the Supreme Court declared opposition to discrimination based on sexual orientation, its failure to recognise same-sex marriage legally is a substantial obstruction to full LGBTQ+ equality. We propose that the refusal of the Indian legal system to honour same-sex marriage while calling for an end to societal violence and discriminatory behaviour against the LGBTQ+ community is inherently flawed and counterintuitive. Informed by our team’s multidisciplinary orientation as healthcare professionals, researchers, and advocates, we delineate explicit challenges that LGBTQ+ people in India may encounter due to the Supreme Court’s recent ruling. We subsequently put forth a series of interprofessional and intersectoral recommendations to mitigate this decision’s immediate and long-term consequences, providing an actionable path toward LGBTQ+ inclusion, justice, and equity in India.
研究问题
这项研究聚焦于印度LGBTQ+群体面临的健康和社会不平等，尤其是由于印度最高法院拒绝承认同性婚姻合法化而导致的挑战。尽管印度最高法院在2018年废除了同性性行为的刑事化，但2023年10月17日的判决却再次拒绝同性婚姻合法化，这被广泛视为LGBTQ+平等斗争的倒退。该判决认为婚姻权不是印度宪法规定的基本权利，且同性婚姻的合法化应由议会而非法院决定。该研究指出，尽管法院呼吁结束基于性取向的歧视，但对同性婚姻的拒绝将影响LGBTQ+群体在健康和社会护理方面的平等待遇。此举不仅发送了相互矛盾的信号，还可能加剧印度LGBTQ+群体在精神健康、医疗服务获取等方面的已有困境。因此，
方法与数据
这项研究采取了多学科的视角，由医疗保健专业人员、研究人员和倡导者组成的团队对印度LGBTQ+群体可能面临的挑战进行了详细探讨。文章的研究方法主要基于对印度最高法院在2023年拒绝同性婚姻合法化判决的影响进行分析。该团队通过阐明此判决可能导致的法律和社会不平等，提出了LGBTQ+群体在印度面临的系统性边缘化和歧视问题。研究还进一步提出了跨专业和跨部门的建议，旨在缓解这一判决对LGBTQ+群体的短期和长期影响，推动印度社会朝向LGBTQ+群体包容、正义和公平的方向发展。
研究发现
研究发现，印度最高法院的裁决后，政策制定者有机会推动法律转型，实现LGBTQ+群体的平等。通过与社区组织和倡导团体合作，政策制定者可以更好地理解LGBTQ+群体的多样性，并制定更包容和公平的政策。最高法院将婚姻平等问题交由立法机关处理，政策制定者可以通过扩展婚姻平等或评估现有法律框架，为同性伴侣提供更多权利，如医疗保险和社会保障。政策制定者还应出台反歧视法律，特别是在健康和社会护理领域，确保LGBTQ+群体不再遭遇歧视。同时，建立有效的执行机制以保障法律的实施。