Mumbai:
There's bad news for the queer community. The annual Queer Azadi gay pride parade that is organised post Independence Day every year, won't happen this year, because organisers fear the march will disrupt traffic.
Said Vikram Doctor, founder, Gay Bombay, "For the past two years, August 16 fell on a weekend. However, this year it's on a weekday (Monday) when traffic is heavy. And the weather isn't right."
Gathering a crowd on a Monday would also be difficult, according to Doctor. "Most people are working."
However, the queer community feels that changing the date would give their cause the appearance of being diluted. "We didn't organise the march just to gather a big crowd. Our main purpose was to highlight the injustice that the community is being subjected to. By postponing the date, we will appear weak," said a gay activist.
A lesbian activist said, "This is absolutely wrong. The weather was erratic last year too, but people did come. I feel let down by the LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) community's leaders."