Queer Pride in India

by Michael Jones · 2009-05-28 12:29:00 UTC
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India pride

Despite the fact that homosexuality is technically illegal under Indian penal codes (Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, to be exact), activists and LGBT rights supporters will gather in June to mark Pride month.  Demonstrations are planned for Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, and perhaps even Chennai, which would mark the city's first LGBT rights demonstration for during Pride month.

Arif Jafar, a member of India's Naaz Foundation (the group behind the legal case to overturn Section 377 and decriminalize homosexuality in India), had this to say about India's stepped up efforts to mark worldwide Pride:

It is our celebration. It is about loving who we are, whether lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, eunuch or straight, and affirming everyone's right to be respected for their own sexuality and identity. It's a celebration of our diversity and an acknowledgment that this diversity is a gift.

I'm constantly inspired by people who still publicly gather in support of LGBT rights, despite the risk of arrest, imprisonment and/or fines because of their sexual orientation.  India is clearly going to rock it out for Pride this year, even if the country's penal system is stuck in the colonial era.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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