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.
