A book on LGBT rights on Thursday was released by Vanathi Srinivasan, the general secretary of the BJP in Tamil Nadu. The move has been considered encouraging by members of the community, as the BJP has on previous occasions been vocal about banning same sex relationships in India.Speaking to Mirror, Srinivasan who is also a lawyer, said that she launched the book since she wanted to understand the problems faced by the LGBT community.“As a lawyer, I do not wish to be closed-minded. I attended the event as an individual and not as a BJP leader,” she said.When reminded of the BJP’s stand regarding Section 377, she said, “I don’t think I will face any opposition from senior party members. If they question me, I will explain my stand,” she added.Shankar, the founder of Srishti, a Madurai-based literary and resource circle for members of the LGBT community, said, “The book titled Maraikappata Pakkangal (Hidden Pages) is the first Tamil book that explains the LGBT community. There has always been scattered information on the LGBT community, but there has never been an authoritative book in Tamil. We have conducted interviews with several people, including Irshad Manji for the book.”Shankar now plans to publish English and French versions of the book.