Members from the Lesbian Gay Bisexuals and the Transgender (LGBT) community and their supporters, dressed in bright colours, took out their annual Karnataka Sexual Minorities Pride March 2012, from Tulsi Park to the Town Hall here on Sunday.
Rohini Malur, part of the Bangalore Pride Organising Committee, said that the members shouted slogans and encouraged members to come out of the closet. She said that the march had several agendas.
“We wanted to celebrate about being proud of ourselves. It was also a protest to demand facilities for the LGBT community,” she added.
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Sumitra, a sexual minority community member who took part in the march said, “In every activity, we face hurdles. We are tortured by the police in particular. For no fault of ours, we have to pay a heavy price. We don’t even have the independence to live.”
A release from the Coalition of Sex Workers and Sexual Minorities stated that there was a need to review laws on adoption, marriage, inheritance to accommodate all alternative family structures formed by the LGBT community.
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‘Repeal Act’
The coalition has demanded that the Karnataka Police Act 36 (A) must be repealed as it violates the fundamental rights of the hijra community. The community has demanded that the government must make necessary provisions for free Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS), hormone replacement treatment and counselling in government hospitals.
It has demanded facilities such as ration cards, voter identity card, driving licence, and pension. The coalition has urged the government to implement its order based on the Karnataka Backward Class Commission report.