The Delhi Queer Pride was a parade that was not only a protest for equality, acceptance, and solidarity, but was also a celebration of one’s uniqueness and sexuality. A large gathering of people walked and danced from Barakhamba Road to Jantar Mantar via Tolstoy Marg on Sunday evening to the beats of drums, songs and protest slogans.
Dotted with floating multicoloured balloons, rainbow flags, placards, personalised t-shirts, masks and costumes, the parade was lead by a police escort and the participants made their presence felt on the streets of Delhi. Shouts of “Rajpath tumhara hai.. lekin Janpath hamara hai” resonated at the Janpath crossing, with curious passers-by stopping to see what the commotion was all about.
Dia, who was participating in the parade for the first time, said she was encouraged to join the pride march because talking about LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) issues makes them less taboo.
“When you watch a debate on television or read about it somewhere you understand what Article 377 is all about and how it is just wrong. These debates can then carry on at home, where parents can speak to their children about these issues over dinner.”
The members of the LGBT community were accompanied by many friends and well-wishers.
Law student Nikhil said his best friend, who was smart enough to get into any MBA programme in the country, chose to work harder and spent more to move abroad because he could not dream of settling down with a man he loves if he lived here. “Why should he have to leave the country to find love just because society and the law does not want to accept a very real issue?”
The parade ended at Jantar Mantar, where a stage was set-up and people were invited up to speak, share their experiences and showcase their creativity. People read out poetry and shared jokes taking pot-shots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah, Baba Ramdev and also straight people who indulge in oral sex.
Songs like “ Pyaar kiya toh darna kya ” were sung in unison by the gathering, and speeches were made giving a call for the LGBT community to stay together not just on occasions like the parade but in day-to-day life as well.
A woman who accompanied her daughter said: “When my daughter was born, I could not wish for her to belong to a particular gender. Similarly, how can I expect her to choose her sexual orientation?”
She said more than the government, parents and families need to accept their children and not send them for “treatment”.
There were some children as well who walked in their school uniforms, demanding the right to make a choice.
The parade, which is in its seventh year, comes at a time when the Supreme Court had in December 2013 upheld Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalises gay sex.
“The freedom to walk the streets as a community where you are not being made fun is rare. We are going to celebrate,” said Aditi, before hailing an auto rickshaw to attend a post-parade party.
