<http://203.199.70.212/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/www.timesofindia.com/Innovation/index.html/982865594/Position1/default/empty.gif/63613538623030643438363838303830> Gay pride out on Capital's streets 30 Jun 2008, 0400 hrs IST,TNN <javascript:openslideshow('/slideshow/3178508.cms')> <javascript:openslideshow('/slideshow/3178508.cms')> *(Photo: Anindya Chattopadhyay)* NEW DELHI: With the gay community taking small steps out of the closet, the city took a giant leap of pride on Sunday.
As a group of some 600-700 homosexual men, lesbians<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Delhi/Gay_pride_out_on_Capitals_streets/articleshow/3178504.cms#>and transgender people marched the streets of central Delhi, cheering diversity and shouting slogans against section 377 of the IPC, a decent number of city people turned out to walk with and celebrate the community which has long been at the receiving end of the law as well as social scorn in this country. There was no active hostility in the heart of the Capital as a rainbow group of gay<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Delhi/Gay_pride_out_on_Capitals_streets/articleshow/3178504.cms#>activists, NGO workers, expat professionals, foreign tourists, eunuchs and ordinary people joined a 2.5 km march from the Barakhamba Road to Jantar Mantar. Demanding equal treatment and basic rights, India's first national gay pride<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Delhi/Gay_pride_out_on_Capitals_streets/articleshow/3178504.cms#>parade ended with a tribute to the victims of section 377, a colonial-era provision in Indian law that prohibits "carnal intercourse against the order of nature". "We exist. We must be accepted as we are. This march is a huge step by the community to show that we are confident of ourselves and we must be respected," said Lesley Esteves, 32, a gay rights activist. "It is time for authorities to stop treating gay people like criminals," she said, before leading a band of people, shouting slogans against section 377. It was not the first time that the gay community<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Delhi/Gay_pride_out_on_Capitals_streets/articleshow/3178504.cms#>has gathered in the city to protest against social discrimination, but it was the first time that they came out in the form of a pride parade. "This is a huge change. It shows that we have grown as a community. It also shows that the attitude towards the gays have changed," said Gautam Bhan, one of the key organisers of the march. "Today, I am proud to be a resident of Delhi. We never expected this kind of support. It shows that Delhi wants to be a city that is free, open and tolerant." Though a few faces were hidden behind colourful masks, a large number of gays walked the street, holding hands, hugging their friends<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Delhi/Gay_pride_out_on_Capitals_streets/articleshow/3178504.cms#>and partners and talking about the problems faced by the community. "I came here to just watch the parade and realised that the gay people were just like us. This parade has really shattered the stereotypical image that we impose on them," said Anand, a techie from Gurgaon. In fact, it was this image that the organisers tried to change with their march. And if the mood at the end of the one-and-a-half hour long walk was any indication, their effort of engaging society was a huge success. "I could not imagine this kind of response 10 years ago. This march is a message to the political class of the country to give legitimacy to the community," said well-known gay rights activist Ashok Row Kavi. ======================= >From Washington Post By Emily Wax and Ria Sen<http://projects.washingtonpost.com/staff/email/emily+wax+and+ria+sen/> Washington Post Foreign Service Monday, June 30, 2008; Page A08 Hundreds March in India for Gay Rights NEW DELHI, June 29 -- Waving rainbow flags and chanting "Gay India<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/countries/india.html?nav=el>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<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/countries/india.html?nav=el>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. "Today a celebratory march occurred," said Pramada Menon, 42, a human rights activist who deals with sexuality issues. "I am excited that globalization has made sexual orientation a celebration. Today, we are ready to walk without masks." The Indian Penal Code contains a colonial-era provision known as Section 377, which prohibits sexual activity that is "against the order of nature." The statute carries punishment of up to 10 years in prison. The law has been repealed in other former British colonies. Human rights groups, in a challenge at the Delhi High Court, are asking the judges to declare that India's law does not apply to consenting adults. The court is set to hear arguments this week. "In India, gays and lesbians still live highly closeted lives," said Vikram Doctor, 40, a member of the Queer Media Collective. "There is still violence. There are still many desperate suicides by gay couples. There is still harassment. And there is still intense pressure to marry those they do not want to be with. But today we have a voice. This march has taken on a momentum of its own." Section 377 has been widely used to blackmail gays in highly organized rackets, according to Doctor and other activists. Marriage in India is highly valued and is sometimes a lucrative business arrangement between families. "I wish to tell people, the judiciary and the government that gays do exist," said Alok Gupta, 28, a lawyer who focuses on gay rights. In India's capital, New Delhi, the parade was more a celebration than a protest. Festive drumming filled the hazy air as marchers unfurled banners that read "Queer Dilliwalla," or resident of Delhi, and "377 Quit India." The parades were peaceful, amid a heavy police presence. Attendees included families pushing strollers, foreigners and transvestites clad in bright saris and rainbow boas. Wearing a T-shirt that said "Stonewalled," with an image of a famous ancient Indian sculpture of two women embracing, Giti Thadani, 47, a member of Sakhi, an organization for lesbians, said she remembered when the first openly gay organization formed in the mid-1980s. It had just four members. "Then it was very difficult," she said. "Today, young Indians are economically independent -- they have access to information and they have their own sexual preferences. They don't always want to be married off at a young age. This parade is a sign of modernity." Lesley Esteves, 32, one of the main organizers of the event, said the day was "a tangible sign of progress," but added: "The road is still long. The battle is far from over." India's conservative Hindu nationalist party, the Bharatiya Janata Party<http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Bharatiya+Janata+Party?tid=informline>, has openly disagreed with the movement, calling it "un-Indian and against families." But leaders said they did not wish to protest the parades, so as not to give more attention to the issue. -- www.gaybombay.in www.gaybombay.info
