Tamil Nadu Rainbow Coalition hold LGBT parade, cultural programme in Chennai

Members of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community on Sunday participated in a host of functions including parades, conferences and cultural programmes here, in an attempt to assert their space in the society.

Around 500 members holding placards and flags began their "Pride Parade" from Raja Rathinam Stadium, Egmore to Mahatma Gandhi Road Nungambakkam, here, representatives of Tamil Nadu Rainbow Coalition, organisers of the event, said.

"The month of June is very special for us. This is the time we meet our members who come here from various places.

This time the number of people participated crossed 500. I consider it as one of the proudest moments for us", Jaya, one of the members of the Tamil Nadu Rainbow Coalition, told PTI.

"During this month, we conduct various kind of events, conferences and discussions. Even this time various events were held across the city," she said.

"All we seek is a recognition in the society. Some feel we are adopting western culture. It is not. We do have the right and this parade allows us to assert our space in the society," she said.

According to Chennai Dost, another division of the Tamil Nadu Rainbow Coalition, several personnel from various organisations participated in a conference on the topic "Society and LGBT Community-building bridges" earlier in the day.