ABOUT THE GARV PROJECT
Turning political insight into more effective LGBTQ+ advocacy
The Garv Project is an independent political analysis and advocacy strategy initiative focused on LGBTQ+ rights in India.
We study how elected officials communicate around LGBTQ+ rights, what those signals reveal about political incentives and risk, and where meaningful political movement may realistically emerge.
Our goal is to translate those insights into practical tools that can help advocates and practitioners think more strategically about political engagement.
Where we started
The Garv Project began ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections with Rainbow Vote, a voter-awareness initiative designed to make political positions on LGBTQ+ rights more visible.
The idea was simple: give voters better information about where political parties and elected representatives stood, and help strengthen political accountability around LGBTQ+ rights.
But as we collected information and spoke with organizers, lawyers, advocates, and policy practitioners, we began to see a more complicated picture.
Tracking positions
Understanding incentives
Engagement strategy
How we evolved
Many politicians were neither explicitly supportive nor explicitly opposed to LGBTQ+ rights. Instead, we found patterns of symbolic support, selective engagement, procedural deflection, and silence.
That changed the question we were asking.
Instead of simply asking “Where do politicians stand?”, we began asking:
How do politicians communicate around LGBTQ+ rights? What does that reveal about their political incentives? And where might meaningful movement actually be possible?
What We D0
The Garv Project studies how political actors communicate around LGBTQ+ rights and what those signals reveal about political incentives and risk. We analyze public statements, parliamentary interventions, constituency profiles, and issue-specific engagement to identify where political movement may realistically be possible.
Our Approach
Our research suggests that political change often happens incrementally. Rather than focusing only on entrenched opposition, we examine how symbolic supporters and persuadable political actors might move from symbolic support to explicit support, silence to engagement, and private openness to public positioning.
Analysis to Action
Garv translates these insights into practical frameworks and tools for advocates and practitioners. Our work is informed by conversations with people across India’s LGBTQ+ advocacy ecosystem and is designed to complement the experience of organizations already doing this work—not replace it.