Following the 1 gay pride walk in Guwahati in February this year, Imphal on 15 March hosted its 1 ever pride walk, resulting in two pride walk in less than a month in the North-East.
With a turnout of 50 people, the walk highlighted the plight and demanded a discrimination free living for the members of All Manipur Nupi Maanbi Association (AMANA). The participants paraded from Khu-man Lampak Youth Hostel till Lamyanba Shanglen, Palace Compound where a consultation programme on Article 377 was also held.
Santha Thangjam, the secretary of AMANA, said that there was a two-fold objective for organising the walk. “Firstly, to mark each month with an activity to support their rights after the Supreme Court verdict (on IPC 377) that came out on 11th December, 2013. Secondly, to reassure the support that they have for homosexuals and other marginalised people. This walk might be a chance for them to reach out and speak out.”
The pride walk was supported by SAATHI-PEHCHAN, Aliance and the American Jewish World Service. It is not the 1 time though, that Manipur has shown its support for the LGBT community. Manipur is one the few Indian States to host a transgender beauty pageant on an annual basis. Santha Thangjam also said that subject experts and resource persons also felicitated the event.