India ‘sluggish’ on LGBTQIA+ rights: Report

“Inclusive cities appeal to expertise and increase innovation,” the report mentioned, noting that cities with excessive LGBTQIA+ inclusiveness scored 4 occasions higher on human capital efficiency and a pair of.5 occasions larger on entrepreneurship. With India set to face a talented labour scarcity by 2030, fostering inclusive city environments is described as a strategic financial necessity, in line with the report.

India’s case underscores a recurring theme throughout the report: cities can paved the way on inclusion even when nationwide governments transfer slowly.

“Whereas challenges persist, these developments foster optimism for a extra inclusive future,” mentioned Srini Ramaswamy, co-founder, of Pleasure Circle, Rainbow Bazaar and Fameworks Leisure, one of many contributors to the report.

The report highlights how inclusive city coverage just isn’t solely an ethical crucial but additionally a sensible financial transfer.

The Metropolis Rankings 2025 attracts on 27 metrics sourced from internationally recognised knowledge companions, together with Oxford Economics, to guage cities throughout two key dimensions — financial competitiveness and LGBTQIA+ inclusion.

The report mixed indicators on innovation, human capital, authorized safety, and social attitudes to evaluate how open a metropolis actually is for enterprise.

In Asia, Bangkok emerged as a regional chief with a ‘B’ score, buoyed by Thailand’s 2025 legalisation of same-sex marriage and a vibrant LGBTQIA+ enterprise ecosystem.

Singapore’s score improved to ‘A’ following the repeal of Part 377A, though issues stay about office discrimination and restricted authorized safety.

Conversely, cities like Manila, Jakarta and Colombo have been ranked as “not open for enterprise”, reflecting low inclusiveness scores and protracted authorized and societal obstacles for LGBTQ+ communities.