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Gay pride march debuts in Delhi
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June 2008-Delhi, India Hundreds of gay rights supporters have marched in the
Indian capital, Delhi, for the first time.
Gays, lesbians and
transgender people gathered in the central Connaught Place area in what was the
country's largest ever display of gay pride.
Activists also marched in
the cities of Calcutta, which has seen similar events in the past, and
Bangalore. The marchers were demanding an end to discrimination in a society
where homosexuality is still illegal.
The gay pride marches are
a global event held in the last week of June every year. They commemorate the
anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York which broke out after police
raided a gay bar.
'Celebrating sexuality'
Marchers in Delhi on
Sunday shouted "long live queer movement" and danced merrily and waved the
rainbow flag, revered by sexual minorities around the world.
"This is for the first
time Delhi is organising a pride festival to celebrate sexuality and people of
all sexualities," student Mario Depeno was quoted by news agency Reuters as
saying.
"Gays, lesbians,
bisexuals, transgender and even straight are coming together here to talk and to
celebrate, it's a party, to celebrate themselves," he said.
In the eastern city of
Calcutta, thousands of people gathered to watch the march which has now become
an annual event. "This is a space, this is a public space, this is a space for
reclaiming," Reuters quoted one participant, Anindya, as saying.
"This is a rally to
reclaim our space, the right to live without violence, without coercion, the
right to live freely with equality and with dignity," he said. Homosexuality is
illegal in India and various groups are lobbying the government and the courts
for a change in the law, which has been in place for more than 145 years.
Brought in under British
rule, the legal system recognises gay and lesbian relationships "as an unnatural
offence". In some Indian states people have taken their own lives because they
have found the law unbearable. The US-based group Human Rights Watch has also
expressed concern about India's colonial-era law.
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