Anjali Gopalan is an Indian

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

and

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...

activist. She is the founder and executive director of The Naz Foundation Trust. In 2012, ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' magazine placed Gopalan on its list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Early life

Anjali Gopalan was born on September 1, 1957, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Her father,

Group Captain Group captain (Gp Capt or G/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British influence. Group cap ...

Dr KR Gopalan, was an officer in the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

; her Punjabi mother was a homemaker. Gopalan did her schooling in

La Martiniere Lucknow LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...

. She studied in both India and the United States and received her Bachelor's degree in political science from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, as well as a postgraduate diploma in journalism and a Masters in International Development from the School of International studies,

Jawaharlal Nehru University Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU; ISO: Javāharalāla Neharū Viśvavidyālaya) is a public research university located in Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university ...

Social work

Early work

Gopalan collaborated with community-based organizations in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, assisting migrants from

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

without valid documentation. She later founded the Naz Foundation.

1990s

In 1994, upon returning to India, Gopalan established Delhi's first HIV clinic. The same year, she founded the Naz Foundation (India) Trust, an organization focused on supporting

LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...

individuals and children affected by

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

. The foundation also works to promote the rights of individuals with marginalized sexual orientations.

2000s

In 2000, Gopalan opened India’s first care home for orphaned and vulnerable HIV-positive children and women. She also provided training for healthcare professionals and caregivers on how to care for HIV-positive children in both residential and foster care settings. In 2001, Gopalan’s organization, Naz Foundation, filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging

Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code Section 377 is a British colonial Penal Code provision that criminalized all sexual acts "against the order of nature". The law was used to prosecute people engaging in oral and anal sex along with homosexual activity. As per a Supreme Court of I ...

, which criminalized

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...

. The legal challenge sought to address the harassment and discrimination faced by individuals based on their sexual orientation. In 2009, the

Delhi High Court The High Court of Delhi ( Hindustani: दिल्ली उच्च न्यायालय; ''dillī uchcha nyāyālaya'') is the high court in Delhi, India. It was established on 31 October 1966, through the ''Delhi High Court Act, 1966. ...

ruled in favor of the Naz Foundation, declaring Section 377 a violation of individual rights. In 2001, Gopalan was awarded the Commonwealth Award for her work with marginalized communities. The Chennai-based Manava Seva Dharma Samvardhani presented her with the Sadguru Gnanananda Award in 2003 for her work in supporting those living with HIV/AIDS. In March 2007, Gopalan was honored as a Woman Achiever by the

Ministry of Women and Child Development The Ministry of Women and Child Development, a branch of the Government of India, is the apex body responsible for the formulation and administration of the rules, regulations, and laws relating to Women in India, women and Children in India, c ...

, along with nine other awardees. On July 29, 2012, Gopalan inaugurated the

Alan Turing Alan Mathison Turing (; 23 June 1912 – 7 June 1954) was an English mathematician, computer scientist, logician, cryptanalyst, philosopher and theoretical biologist. He was highly influential in the development of theoretical computer ...

Rainbow festival and flag of Asia's first

genderqueer Non-binary or genderqueer gender identities are those that are outside the male/female gender binary. Non-binary identities often fall under the transgender umbrella since non-binary people typically identify with a gender that is differ ...

pride parade A pride parade (also known as pride event, pride festival, pride march, or pride protest) is an event celebrating lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) social and self-acceptance, achievements, LGBT rights by country o ...

as a part of the Turing festival organized by Gopi Shankar Madurai of Srishti Madurai. This was the first gay pride parade attended by Gopalan. Since September 2, 2012, she has served as the advisory head of the committee of Srishti Madurai. In 2012, Gopalan established an animal sanctuary called "All Creatures Great and Small" at Silakhari, Harayana. On October 25, 2013, Gopalan was awarded the Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur in the order of the legions of honor, the highest award from

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

; the award was presented to her by Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, Minister of Women's Rights for France. Gopalan is the first Indian Tamil woman awarded the "Legion of Honour".

Awards and recognition

* People of the Year Award (2014) * Legion Honneur Officier ribbon

Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur (2013) * ''Time'' 100 Most Influential People in the World (2012) * Woman Achiever Award by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

(2007) *

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

Award (2001)

In popular culture

In Hansal Mehta's 2015

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

movie ''

Aligarh Aligarh (; formerly known as Koil) is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Aligarh district and lies northwest of state capital Lucknow and approximately southeast of the capital, New Delhi. ...

'', actress Nuthan Surya portrayed Gopalan.

Anjali Gopalan Srishti Awards for Social Justice Journalism

The academic committee of Srishti Madurai awards the ''Anjali Gopalan Srishti Awards for Social Justice Journalism'' to social

journalists A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

. The first award was received by V. Mayilvaganan and V. Narayanswamy from ''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...

'' for highlighting issues regarding

people and Santhi Soundarajan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gopalan, Anjali 1957 births Indian LGBTQ rights activists People from Chennai Living people Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Lady Shri Ram College alumni Jawaharlal Nehru University alumni