India's gays made quite a statement this weekend. Though homos have previously put on pride parades in Calcutta, the festivities stretched across the nation in the biggest gay outing in India's history this weekend:
Waving rainbow flags and chanting "Gay India does exist," nearly 1,000 gay activists and their supporters marched in coordinated parades in three Indian cities Sunday, demonstrating their growing confidence and hope for change on a subcontinent where homosexuality is illegal.
Activists in New Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata called the parades the largest display of gay pride in India's modern history. They said the public rallies would have been impossible just a decade ago in this largely conservative nation, where marriage is seen as an important societal duty.
Most of the marchers came out to oppose Section 377, the colonial era law prohibiting gay activities. While most political leaders oppose opening the laws for the lavender set, none actively protested this weekend's happenings, saying they didn't want to give the gays too much attention. Ain't that grand?
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I hope that thirty years from now, Queerty will be posting video clips from this parade to remind us how backwards and anti-LGBTQ India USE to be. Our generation may have missed Stonewall, but Stonewalls are happening all over the world today and we can be a part of those uprisings and be a part of history.
For a population of 600,000,000 plus, a thousand marching is less than a mini, mini droplet in a bucket. Why waste their time displaying another freak show? I recommend the queens just take their make-up and play with their Barbie dolls at home……..
Oh, but the smaller Gay pride events are so much more fun! Who wants to spend all afternoon looking at beer ads?
Dear RPCV
Why waste their time displaying another freak show?
You yourself are the answer to your own question :)
So that homophobic, myopic, small minded people like yourself who obviously have no historical understanding of how all big change was started by small public action and how a mini,mini droplet an ocean makes.
Sadhana: Oh, pleeeze. Give it up……..
As a fall out of the gay pride parade, 1 day after it the PM appealed for greater tolerance towards homosexuals, and labour minister publicly called for the repeal of the sodomy law. The Delhi High Court too gave it a thumbs up, finding nothing wrong in it, by saying that such parades are already very common outside India. Now, I'm quite hopeful of a positive judgment.
hi…any intrested gay in india can contact me at +919823645100…v could hav some good time..
hi, i really interested in new queer events in india, if there is ANYTHING, please inform me at nadiaguizar@ucla.edu. i am here in india till dec. 17th….
i would love it, thanks