Equal rights activist Harish Iyer on Tuesday joined the Congress.
Harish became a household name after he narrated the story of his child abuse, in the presence of actor Sridevi and Aamir Khan in the talk show Satyamev Jayate. Harish said he wants to continue working on the cause of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community and against casteism and Islamophobia and that politics is a good medium to further his cause.
"I am not looking at getting a ticket. I am not given any official rank in the party so far. However, I will continue to work and support Priyanka and Rahul. One day I aspire to have an all India Queer Congress on the lines of All India Mahila Congress," said Harish.
It was his meeting with Congress president Rahul Gandhi last year which started the process, says Harish.
"I raised many difficult questions. I also told him as to how some senior leaders in the Congress made homophobic statements by calling Homosexuality a disease. I also spoke about many positives like Congress MP Shashi Tharoor raising the issue in Parliament after dissenting about many party leader's stand on LGBT issues. He patiently gave me an ear and at the end said that we are with you. It was the empathy that made all the difference."
However, Mumbai Congress is not new to Harish.
"I was associated with Priya Dutt in 2009 when she took up issues like legalization of prostitution. It is the inter-sectionality of LGBT issues that I am more concerned with where the rights of Dalit and Muslim LGBT population are also protected," opines Harish.
Harish, also volunteers on a helpline helping and counselling people to dissuade them from committing suicide. He is also involved with environment and animal rights issues.
Regardless, of his own ideological affiliations Harish wants more people belonging to the LGBT community to join politics in the party of their choice.
"We criticize politicians but never join them. We have to join every party possible and raise these issues there. I also look forward to RSS having their own queer wing," concludes Harish.
The other notable people from the LGBT communities who have joined politics are AIADMK spokesperson Apsara Reddy and Mumbai based Transgender activist Priya Patil.