Thousands of members of the LGBTQIA+ community and their allies took to the streets of Chennai, India on June 25 to celebrate Pride Month. Participants donned colorful attire and raised rainbow flags as they marched from the Egmore Raja Rathinam stadium to the Ramada Hotel. They also carried placards demanding basic rights for LGBTQIA+ individuals and garnered support for their cause by shouting slogans.
The community expressed joy and pride in being able to participate in the parade and demanded equal rights from both their families and the Indian government. Participants also called for a Supreme Court verdict on same-sex marriage and demanded that the central government address the basic rights of the LGBTQIA+ population.
While the stigma surrounding differing sexual orientations still persists in Indian society, Pride Month serves as a platform for individuals to stand proudly and unapologetically in their true identities.
Pride Month honors individuals who took part in the Stonewall Riots, a series of gay liberation demonstrations that took place in 1969. The Stonewall riots lasted for days and kicked off a long-fought battle for the rights of the LGTBQ+ community. In India, the discussion surrounding Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which sparked rallies across the nation, is linked to Pride Month.
Manvendra Singh Gohil, founder of the Lakshya Trust, an organization working for the LGBTQ+ community, attended the parade in Vadodara earlier this month. During the Pride Rally, he called for equal rights for all LGBTQ+ individuals.
Pride Month is celebrated in June worldwide when individuals of all sexual orientations join parades to exhibit their identities. This year, the Pride parades may be held virtually due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic around the world.
