Indian gays demand an end to discrimination

Published November 25, 2013
Participants dance under a a rainbow flag as they attend the sixth Delhi Queer Pride parade, an event promoting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights, in New Delhi November 24, 2013. — Photo by Reuters
Participants dance under a a rainbow flag as they attend the sixth Delhi Queer Pride parade, an event promoting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights, in New Delhi November 24, 2013. — Photo by Reuters
Gay rights activists display a rainbow-colored flag as they march in New Delhi, India, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2013. — Photo by AP
Gay rights activists display a rainbow-colored flag as they march in New Delhi, India, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2013. — Photo by AP

NEW DELHI: Gay rights activists sang songs and carried rainbow-colored flags while marching to the beat of traditional Indian drums Sunday, as they paraded through India's capital to demand an end to the stigmatisation of gays in the deeply conservative country.

The demonstrators urged an end to all forms of discrimination against gays, lesbians and transgenders in India, four years after a colonial-era law that criminalised gay sex was overturned.

One group of activists carried a 15-meter rainbow-colored banner, while others waved placards demanding the freedom to lead dignified lives.

The march ended with a public meeting at Jantar Mantar, the main area for protests in New Delhi.

Many gay rights group members and their families danced and sang as drummers and musicians performed.

Others distributed rainbow-colored flags and badges to members of the public who gathered to watch and listen to the speeches.

Many demonstrators had come to the march to express their support for the gay community in the city.

Ashok Chauhan, an advertising executive in his mid-40s, said he cycled 8 kilometers to the parade to support his friends in their choice of sexuality.

''It's a matter of choice, and I think each one of us has the right to choose,'' Chauhan said.

The activists also demanded that people be allowed to record the gender of their choice in the national census, voter identity cards and other government documents.

In 2009, the Delhi High Court decriminalized gay sex, which until then had been punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

In some big Indian cities, homosexuality is slowly gaining acceptance, and a few high-profile Bollywood films have dealt with gay issues.

Still, many marchers Sunday covered their faces with scarves or wore masks because they have not told their friends and families about their sexuality.

Opinion

Editorial

CPEC slowdown
Updated 09 Dec, 2024

CPEC slowdown

Current CPEC slowdown doesn't mean China has lost interest in the connectivity project or in Pakistan.
Madressah bill
09 Dec, 2024

Madressah bill

A CONTROVERSY has been brewing over the Societies Registration (Amendment) Act, 2024, with the JUI-F slamming ...
Protecting varsities
09 Dec, 2024

Protecting varsities

THE recent proposal by the Sindh cabinet to shoehorn in non-PhD bureaucrats as vice chancellors has sparked concern...
Stirring trouble
Updated 08 Dec, 2024

Stirring trouble

The demands put forth this time are simple and doable at little political cost.
Unfairness in cricket
08 Dec, 2024

Unfairness in cricket

HOPES that cricketing ties between Pakistan and India would be strengthened by the latter team’s visit across the...
Syria rebel advance
08 Dec, 2024

Syria rebel advance

CITY after city in Syria is falling into rebel hands as Bashar al-Assad’s government looks increasingly vulnerable...