Amidst the humdrum of the city, around 500 people – all clad in multicoloured robes, turbans and flags – came together to demand equality for the LGBT community at the 4th Delhi queer pride parade on Sunday. The parade, which began at 3pm from Barakhamba road and culminated at Jantar
Mantar at 6pm, witnessed great cheering and sloganeering from the members of LGBT community, who have been fighting towards greater social recognition, despite the scrapping of Article 377.
“This parade is a celebration of the courage it took for me to come out to my family and friends. We are generally discriminated against by society, but this is a platform where all of us have come together to celebrate our different orientations,” said Kunal Talwar (name changed), who had come from Gurgaon to participate in the parade.
Participants included not only queer people, but also those who have actively been working for their upliftment as well.
“On behalf of the LGBT community and the eunuchs of Delhi, we are all here to ask society to accept us as we are. We do not want to cause any trouble, and all we want to show is that we all stand together. Most of us are treated differently, but we want to tell people that there is no difference at all,” said Paritosh Mittal, a representative of the Sakhi Foundation.
The parade also saw participation from several foreigners, who also came to show their support.
“This is a celebration of the beauty of diversity and the scrapping of Article 377. It is overwhelming to see such widespread participation, which just goes to show that the number of people coming out in the open about their sexual orientations has gone up,” said Anne Philpott, a resident of the United Kingdom.
The Delhi Queer Pride Community put forth several demands, including ending violence against LGBT community members doled out by the police and families.
They also demanded an anti-discrimination law to address gender identity issues and the end of discrimination against the community in educational institutes, hospitals and work places.
by HT Correspondent – Hindustan Times
