Senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy took the oath of office as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha, marking a watershed moment in Indian politics. With her election to the Upper House from West Bengal in 2026, she became India's first openly queer Member of Parliament at the national level, a significant step forward for LGBTQ+ representation in the country.

New Delhi: Senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy has taken the oath of office as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha, a watershed moment in Indian politics. With her election to the Upper House in 2026 from West Bengal, she became India's first openly queer Member of Parliament at the national level, marking an important milestone for LGBTQ+ representation in the country.

Early Life and Education

Born in 1974 in Hyderabad, Guruswamy received her early education at Hyderabad Public School. She later completed her schooling at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya in New Delhi.

She pursued her B.A. LL.B. (Hons) from the prestigious National Law School of India University in 1997. Demonstrating academic excellence, she went on to study at some of the world’s leading institutions, including the University of Oxford and Harvard Law School.