LGBTQI folks hold a public demonstration at CP in Delhi

No banners, no posters and no written word – it was just through rainbow colours that the LGBTQI folks of Delhi conveyed their message to people in Connaught Place at this event recently. The LGBTQI people in Delhi assembled at a small park above Palika parking to hold a public demonstration commemorating Delhi High Court’s reading down of Section 377 on July 2, 2009, which was overturned by the Supreme Court in December 2013.
The group, comprising students, activists and members from Delhi Queer Pride Committee, walked around the CP circle distributing pamphlets and shouting slogans like ‘377 se azaadi, homophobia se azaadi, transphobia se azaadi, moral policing se azaadi, mang rahi poori abaadi, azaadi, azaadi!’
Community and the cause
Though the gathering saw a good turnout of mostly students, we were told that they planned the event in just two days and used social media and word-of-mouth to invite more people from across the city. “We come out and support issues like women’s rights and safety. We also need to talk about Section 377 in the open. On such occasions, we need to come out in full force and support the cause. We are fighting for our human rights,” said Ayush Mehra, a DU student who came with his friends. Another PhD student, Manavi Arora, has been a regular to pride parades and events in the city. “I have been with the community and I can see a change coming in terms of youth awareness. But we still need to spread the message among people,” she said.
Spread the word
Mohnish Malhotra from the Delhi Queer Pride Committee said that by doing more events like this, they want to share that “there is no going back” from freedom. “All democratic-minded citizens have been fighting against the SC verdict. They really have to account for what this law means – it affects the lives of queer people of the country. This law is not helping anyone. It causes harassment, violence. There are so many cases that we come across every day and we don’t have a legal system to fight back,” he said. Mohnish recently returned from London after attending the pride parade. “I saw some armed forces marching in the pride parade. The cross-genre participation in the pride parade was unbelievable. It was an elevating experience to see 50,000 people from all walks of life participating. Just two days before the parade, the US legalised same-sex marriage, so everyone marched behind the US flag,” he shared.