'I can't even write straight'
â" Banner at Mumbai's first Gay Pride
Mumbai's first ever gay pride march that took off from the historic August
Kranti Maidan yesterday afternoon and wound up at Girgaum Chowpatty in two
hours made such a powerful statement for the Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay and
Transgender (LGBT) community in the city that even the roar of the South Mumbai
traffic could not drown it out.
QAM without qualms
Mumbai's Gay Pride, dubbed as Queer Azadi March (QAM) came one day after
Independence Day, which was symbolic as it gave greater voice to the primary
aim â" freedom from Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that
criminalises homosexuality.
Rainbow season
The rainbows (a symbol of the gay movement) seemed to have descended to earth
yesterday as the Maidan on Gowalia Tank became a hub of shouting colour. Gays
and lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders and straight supporters wore rainbow hats
and waved rainbow flags as they congregated for the 2 pm start.
Lingo of love
Several participants wore t-shirts that spoke of battling closed attitudes and
urging acceptance. One woman had: 'Behind every brave woman is a whole
community telling her she is wrong' while a young man wore one that read: 'I
speak Gaylic, just another language of love' .
Legging it
One could feel a sense of pride (pun intended) in the air as people thronged
the maidan waiting for actress Celina Jaitley to flag off the march. Even a
broken leg could not stop Shobhana, an expatriate who lives in Mumbai from
coming to the march. "I hope somebody is present to push my wheelchair," she
laughed, adding that the event had surpassed expectations.
Son-shine days
The gay community had a huge support base. A special doff of the rainbow hat,
though, goes to a lady called Gaver who was at the march to support her
32-year-old gay son, Harpreet. Harpreet's sister Geetanjali was present too and
what better way to illustrate the brother-sister relationship on raksha bandhan
day, one thought. A woman Harwant Kaur was present too to support her gay
nephew.
Poster boy prince
After much jostling thanks to Jaitley's entrance, the marchers were off, with
gay prince of Gujarat Manavendra Sinh Gohil who has become a poster boy for the
movement, giving a speech that asked the English to apologise for foisting
Section 377 on India. Gujarati songs rent the air and the procession set off
with the only son and heir to the fortunes of the former Rajpipla principality,
saying, "I represent the gay community of Gujarat".
Sobering thoughts
Underneath the carnival, Mardi-Gras like atmosphere, with the costumes sending
the cameramen in a tizzy, the homophobia and hate that the group battles daily
were sobering thoughts. Some event organisors like Vikram Doctor Geeta Kumana
faced these even while seeking permissions for the march from various
authorities. Transgender Laxmi did talk about the kind of things the community
had to hear while asking for the green light for the march.
Same sex marriage?
As the marchers reached Chowpatty, one realised that while so many countries in
the West are debating same-sex marriages, here we are still talking about a law
criminalising homosexuality. The overall feeling though was that of triumph.
This Pride is a milestone for the gay community here. Slowly and inevitably the
walls of opposition will come down. Like a Pride placard said: 'I am here, I am
queer, get used to it'.
