Gay Rights Activists March in New Delhi Parade

New Delhi: Hundreds of gay rights activists danced to drum beats and held colorful balloons as they marched in a parade in New Delhi on Sunday, celebrating what they call the diversity of gender and sexuality.

Organizers said that while the Queer Pride parade celebrated the gains the LGBT community has made in recent years, they also wanted to highlight the continuing discrimination it faces.

The Delhi Queer Pride Committee also demanded the repeal of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalises homosexuality.

On Sunday, Harsh Aggarwal, who runs a digital marketing company in New Delhi, said that there has been progress, though it has come slowly. "But it's happening," he said.

"There are more people who are coming out without masks. Society also is respecting us. That's the progress," he said.

Advertisement

Activists had cheered in 2009 when the Delhi High Court declared Section 377 of the Penal Code unconstitutional. But the judgment was overturned four years later when the Supreme Court decided that amending or repealing Section 377 should be a matter left to Parliament, not the judiciary.