Sunday evening will see Manaveeyam Veedhi don the colours of the rainbow. There will be music, dance, street plays and a photo exhibition, all celebrating the LGBTIQ community, as part of the first edition of Pride Walk. The event, with the theme ‘Love makes a family’, hopes to present to the public a glimpse into the lives of LGBTIQ members, their relationship with each other and their commitment to contribute to society.
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It is going to be the first public event organised by Queerythm, a community-based organisation working for the rights of gender and sexual minorities.
“Usually pride parades concentrate on the community and their rights alone. But with this event we aim to showcase the willingness of our community to be a part of the mainstream and help make the society better,” says Prijith P.K., secretary, Queerythm.
Much has changed, he says, in the last few years, thanks to the work of LGBTIQ rights groups like Queerala and the media exposure that sexual and gender minorities have been receiving. The Kerala State government has also been helpful by launching projects and policies, especially for transgenders.
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“But we are still a long way from being a society that can understand and accept homosexuality and bisexuality or transgenderism. That is why many members of the LGBTIQ community migrate to metro cities like Bangalore and Delhi where the city as a whole is much more welcoming,” he says.
A large portion of the public, Prijith adds, still think of queer people as folks with some sort of serious physical or mental issues. He says: “Youngsters who are identified as homosexuals or transgenders face severe alienation and discrimination at places where they study or work. I myself have been made fun of by many during my college years for being homosexual. This can only be changed by making the public understand that we are normal people.” Sunday’s event, Prijith hopes, will be a stepping stone towards that aim of making the society aware of the life of people from the LGBTIQ community.
An exhibition of a series of queer-themed photographs by amateur photographer Jaljith Thattoli will be one of the highlights of the event. The photos depict queer romance in monochrome, both candid as well as staged moments. “Even those who support the LGBTIQ movements feel awkward when they see intimate gestures between the members. Our society is not used to seeing it and there are many people who can’t imagine anything other than heterosexual romance. This is a small step to normalising gay, lesbian or transgender romance in the minds of people,” says Jaljith, a medical transcriptionist and a supporter of LGBTIQ social movements.
In addition, a play by Queerythm volunteers will be staged, which will showcase the alienation that the members of the community from their families. The story, Prijith explains, is that of a bird that is abandoned by the family just because it was born with feathers of different colours, that of a rainbow, when compared to rest of the species.
The cultural event will also see felicitation of outstanding achievers from the community like HR associate Zara Sheikha, the first ever transgender person from Kerala to get a job in Technopark, and Shyama, the first transgender from the district to earn the state government’s education scholarship. Prijith adds:“Their stories are an inspiration and hope for others from the community. It will be a special evening and we will also be donating study materials to 50 students in the city from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.” The programme will kick-off with the pride march. Flagged off by City Police Commissioner G. Sparjan Kumar, it will start from the vicinity of University College at 4 pm and conclude at Manaveeyam Veedhi. The march will be accompanied by a rally of bullet riders.
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