Anish Gawande is India's first openly gay national spokesperson for a mainstream political party, and he's used that platform to push LGBTQ+ rights into India's political mainstream. Born in Mumbai, educated at Columbia and Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, he founded Pink List India to track and advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusion in Indian politics, and led major COVID-19 relief through Youth Feed India during the pandemic. His research spans religion, culture, and public life at Columbia, and newsroom work at CNN. He's translated queer literary works in the tradition of Marathi literature, been named in GQ's 50 Most Influential Young Indians, and spoken on everything from Section 377 to inclusive governance. His X feed is a live wire of Indian political commentary, covering elections, protests, caste politics, and LGBTQ+ milestones. Whether he's at a party rally, an Oxford conference, or a podcast mic on Cyrus Says, Anish makes politics personal.