“History owes an apology to the members of this community and their families, for the delay in providing redressal for the ignominy and ostracism that they have suffered through the centuries. The members of this community were compelled to live a life full of fear of reprisal and persecution,” Justice Indu Malhotra.
Love is the only thing that liberates two people by binding them together, a feeling to be proud of. But where the released oxytocin rolls out the waves of happiness, it inspires fear and courage. India is a country of diverse cultures and love that spreads colours across borders. Sadly, love between a man and a man (gay) or a woman and a woman (lesbian) is criticised. The Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual+ Community or LGBTQIA+ community calmed their racing hearts on September 6, 2018, after the verdict of Section 377 was decriminalised. The LGBTQ+ community wins a battle each day but sometimes loses the battle of coming out. To mark their presence in the world, pride marches are organised in cities by their respective Rainbow organisations. The LGBT+ community in India is deprived of many basic rights like donating blood, the right to marry, participate in the Indian army, etc., solely because of their orientation. Imagine living like that!
Hats off to the community for spreading colours with their presence. The month of June is celebrated as Pride month around the world.
The Pride March is an incredible experience, but this requires an intensive debate over how to express their orientation and sexuality. Usually, the organisers stumble upon a mutual decision, but this year Pune celebrated love twice due to the clash of interests. Where one group wanted a traditional march showcasing love through Indian culture, the other group desired a liberal march where they get to celebrate love and how they like it. The clash of ideology was between the Bindu Queer Rights Foundation, Yutak LGBTQ and Qutcast, and the Mist LGBTQ foundation. Bindumadhav Khire, Director of Bindu Queer Rights Foundation, shared, “We could see people coming from the rural parts of India walking this year, to support the cause of gay marriage rights. We also saw a lot of parents walking with their children. It feels great to find parents who want their children to be aware and grow inclusive of all other genders. Even some pet organisations took part too.”
Aditya Joshi, founder of Qutcast said: “Pride is all about inclusivity and not begging. It’s about being proud of who you are. There are many restrictions on the Pride walk. They don’t include inter-sectional queer issues. Other uncommon issues faced by other identities are also not taken up.”
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The Pune Pride March celebrated the LGBTQ+ community’s existence and sprayed love on the streets of Pune after a gap of 2 years. Over 1,000 people participated in the walk, dancing to their beats and smiling at the homophobes. This 1-kilometre walk painted Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Garden, JM road and Fergusson College road with rainbow hues. Pune marked ten years in 2022 of conquering various issues by walking with Pride. This year, the theme of the Pride March was ‘Marriage Rights for All’; the cheer and the roar strummed the heartstrings of the people witnessing. The march organisers- Bindu Queer Rights Foundation and Yutak LGBTQ, admired the courage of the people walking the walk and clapped for their supporters. What added to the warmth were the parents and families of many LGBTQ+ people hugging their kids and their partners. This Pride March followed a traditional dress code. Some people wore sarees, some wore dhoti-kurta, and some spread their wings in rainbow-coloured clothes. This march saw it all, from rainbow-coloured hair to guys with make-up signalling their bold presence to drag queens in heels stepping on the problems one dance move at a time. If you feel the people aren’t lit enough, wait for the slogans and posters. A few witty yet powerful slogans on posters read ‘Paws for Pride’, ‘Hip Hip Ho Ho, Homophobia has to go’, ‘prem mhanje prem asta, tumcha amcha same asta”, and ‘Harry Potter taught us that no one deserves to live in a closet’. Well, we certainly agree on the last one.
The Pride March organised by Qutcast and Mist LGBTQ gathered around 400 people with no theme to follow. The attendees were encouraged to bring forward their issues.
The organising groups may have different ideas of expression, but their voice does not quiver when they shout ‘Love is Love’ and ‘I am the Rainbow Deer of my Family.’
