Come November 27 and Delhi will witness its Ninth Queer Pride Parade. We walk in pride at the strides made towards a dignified life and the battles won against our own demons and those of society. We also march in rage and resistance against the discrimination and oppression of trans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex, and the many gender and sexual non-conforming folks.
We decry the lack of expansion and implementation of protections under the NALSA Judgment, the poorly drafted Transgender Rights Bill and Section 377 that continues to hold many of us criminal. We also work towards dismantling social structures that hold us in fear and humiliation, in our homes, schools, colleges, offices, public spaces and among our friends and family.
But this year, we walk under a growing cloud of war threats and nationalist jingoism that threatens to suspend our freedom and rationalize the subjugation of a whole spectrum of people. From countless deaths and blindings in Kashmir and the thrashing of Dalit men in Una by gau rakshaks to the everyday terror of pop-nationalists threatening our liberties and right-wing forces rampaging on our universities, pride has seldom come at a more grim time.
Hence more than ever, we assert that our pride is inextricably tied to a broader demand for freedom and dignity for all.
So when we take to the streets on Sunday, we will walk as queer people who imagine a queer world that is anti-caste, feminist, sex and body positive. We will walk in support of a rising tide of Dalits, muslims, women, disabled, Kashmiris, people in the North East, adivasis, academics, filmmakers and students in resistance against the forces that threaten our freedoms. This Pride, we resist freedoms that come with conditions and assert justice for all. If some of us aren’t free, no one is.
We demand:
•No discrimination on the basis of age, sex, class, caste, religion, tribe, ability, ethnicity, gender identity, and sexual orientation
•Effective implementation of the Supreme Court’s NALSA judgment and withdrawing of the current Transgender Rights Bill
•Strong action against anti-minority violence, the silencing of the freedom of expression and dissent, and a crack down on extortion and threats in the name of nationalism
•Repeal of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, anti-beggary, anti-Hijra laws, the exception of marital rape from rape law, sedition laws, UAPA and AFSPA
Organized by The Delhi Queer Pride Committee, a voluntary collective supported only by community funds, the Delhi Queer Pride March brings together members and supporters of the queer community.
The Delhi Queer Pride 2016 is on Nov 27 and starts from Barakhamba Road at 3:00 pm. For more details, check the Facebook event page.
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