Thousands March In Delhi For Queer Pride With Banners Of Solidarity

New Delhi: More than 3,000 people gathered in the heart of Delhi on Sunday to mark the 9th annual Delhi Queer Pride Parade. 

The march celebrates the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) community and their struggles, highlighting the continuous marginalisation they face in the country.

"It's my first time in Pride," said 20-year-old Ajay Rawat. "I have come out openly as gay, I am not ashamed of it," he said. 

Dr Himadri Roy, who has been associated with the Delhi Pride for years, was at the march with his mother.

"It is her first time. She says she is very excited and understands the struggles queer people have to go through," he said.

One of the foremost issues being highlighted in the march is legal acceptance. In 2009, the Delhi High Court had declared Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalizes homosexual acts, as unconstitutional. But four years later, the Supreme Court overturned the judgement deciding that the amendment or repealing of Section 377 was a job for the parliament and not the judiciary.

The pride march witnessed vibrant posters and slogans being raised against Section 377 that has challenged the sexual and personal freedoms of the queer community for generations.
"For me pride is about education, dignity and safety for all," 21-year-old Alankrita said. 

"Today we must also remember the sobriety of transgender deaths in recent times that's so important," Dr Brinda Bose, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University said. 

"Our community is increasing day by day. Occasions like pride are so sensitive that the media itself is scarcely seen here nowadays but still members of our community are turning up for pride," Aayat, a transwoman said.