Kerala High Court Asks Medical Education Board To Review Queer-Phobic Content In Books

The NGOs that petitioned the court alleged that contents in the books stereotyped the LGBTQ community's sexual or gender identities as an offence, mental disorder or perversion.

The Kerala High Court has directed the Undergraduate Medical Education Board to consider the representations of two non-governmental organisations (NGOs), working for the welfare of the LGBTQ community, against alleged queer-phobic contents in medical textbooks. The court in its September 7 order directed the Board to first obtain the remarks and views of the Kerala University of Health Sciences, Thrissur, on the representations made by the NGOs Queerythm and Dhisha before taking the final decision. The decision has to be taken within eight weeks of receiving the instant order, the court said. The Kerala University of Health Sciences was asked to provide its remarks and views to the Board on the allegations made in the petition of the NGOs as well as their representations without waiting for a copy of the court order.