Called the Queer Azaadi March (QAM), the annual event seeks to not just celebrate the community’s individuality but to also create awareness about equal rights for all, irrespective of gender identity and sexual orientation.
On July 2, 2009, the Delhi High Court had ruled in favour of scrapping Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalises sexual acts between consenting adults of the same gender.
Since then the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community has been celebrating the landmark judgment by spilling out on to the streets in colourful costumes and holding a ‘pride march’.
Called the Queer Azaadi March (QAM), the annual event seeks to not just celebrate the community’s individuality but to also create awareness about equal rights for all, irrespective of gender identity and sexual orientation.
This year, the event has gotten bigger and will be spread over a week. “We have planned an entire week of festivities, complete with open-air melas, live concerts, book readings, plays and film screenings. We are calling it the QAM Mumbai’s Pride Week,” says organiser and gay rights activist Harish Iyer.
On January 22, the festivities will begin with the screening of a documentary on the Indian LGBT community. It will be followed by a fundraiser party at a lounge in Tardeo.
Then there are live music and dance concerts planned at the Carter Road open auditorium and the SNDT University at Juhu. Other events include makeover sessions and T-shirts designing workshops.
“The interesting thing about these events is that they are planned not at some dinghy and hush-hush venue but at popular places frequented both by straight and homosexual people,” says gay software professional Nadeem Durazi.
LGBT activists insist that the idea was to step out of the shadows and bring the community and its activities into the mainstream.
“Our agenda is to start getting visible and gradually start a dialogue with mainstream society about issues facing the community and its members,” says Iyer.
Meanwhile, the organisers claim that getting the mandatory permissions from the police and the BMC was a piece of cake.
“The response from the authorities was very promising. They were attentive and open-minded and not once did we have to mask our reasons for holding the event,” Iyer adds.
The festivities will end a week later on January 29 with members of the participating in a colourful march from August Kranti Maidan to Girgaum Chowpatty.
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