“Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, hijras , kothis are just people who don't want any of these labels but feel suffocated by what is expected of them because of their gender.” This is how one of the participants described the crowd that took part in the fourth Annual Queer Pride March here on Sunday.
Among those who took part were jogappas, shivashaktis, effeminate men and butch women — those who want to be neither man nor woman, or sometimes, both.
The march was organised by the Coalition for the Sexual Minority Rights (CSMR), a group of community-based organisations and non-government organisations.
People wearing colourful masks celebrated their sexual identity through the march, which brought the curtains on the weeklong celebrations. “The pride march also reminds us of the activism that has brought us where we are today,'' said Vinay Chandran of Swabhava, a community member.
Some of the demands that were echoed this year were the implementation of the promises made by the State Government to support sexual minorities, the Backward Classes (BC) Commission recommendations for including sexual minorities in the BC list, and providing free medical services for sexual reassignment surgery.
Veena Shivalingaiah, a transgender, the first from the community to contest the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) elections, said: “There is a need for amendments in the law to consider us also as human beings. Through the pride march we want to educate the public. We are proud of what we are,” she said.
“We have been deprived of our voices, our right to be ourselves, and even our citizenship. But we are not fighting a losing battle. Section 377 is, for the moment, no longer a threat. More lesbians, gays, kothis and bisexuals are bravely coming out in the open every day. A welfare board has been set up for hijras in Karnataka, and schemes for pension, housing, and voter identity cards are being discussed. Many ‘same sex couples' are now living a fulfilling life together,” said Sowmya Reddy, one of the organisers.
