Dr. Avnish Jolly, Chandigarh, 27th June, 2008:British colonial-era provision in Indian law prohibits carnal intercourse against the order of nature and activists say this allows authorities to treat gay people like criminals. Under the statute, known as Section 377, unlawful sex is punishable by a fine and a 10-year prison term.
According to history Gay Pride events are traditionally held around June 27 to commemorate the riots that broke out in 1969 in Greenwich Village, New York City after police raided a gay bar, the Stonewall Inn.
In Indian first time gay men, lesbians, transgendered individuals and their friends and family in several major Indian cities will join global gay pride events. Homosexuality is officially illegal in India but the country’s lesbians and gays say that will not stop them coming out for the first nationwide pride marches this weekend on 29th June, 2008. Small gay pride marches of several hundred people have been held in the eastern city of Kolkata before, but this year is the first time events will also be held in New Delhi and in the southern city of Bangalore. Gay rights activists say this shows India has come a long way since 1999, when the first attempt at a pride march was made in Kolkata.
"Only 15 people came out. It wasn’t even a march really," said Pawan Dhall, who works for HIV and Gender Rights organization SAATHII and has been a key organizer of the march in Kolkata.
"Delhi decided to do it and we decided it’s high time we also got in on the act and it’s only now we feel we have the numbers to do this," said Rahula, a gay rights activist who is in Panchkula to attend the Peer Educators Training organized by Haryana AIDS Control Society.
The marchers, who have already obtained police permission, plan to wave rainbow flags, play drums and maybe even dance in the streets. Some, however, are also expected to wear masks to avoid being telecast by television coverage.
Cracks have even appeared in the government’s stance to homosexuality during a long-running court battle to overturn Section 377. While the Government of India holds society is not ready to drop the law, India’s state-run AIDS organization went on record to say the move was necessary to help in its efforts to fight the disease. The Pride March in the Delhi, which is expected to draw a few thousand people, comes just days ahead of the next hearing of final arguments in the case before the Delhi High Court on July 2.
Activists in Chandigarh say they expect at least 10000 people to turn out Sunday 29th June, 2008 and people feel the need to actually come out in the street and advocacies affirm their identities.
"The Pride March is happening now and not before, it shows an internal strength that MSM (Men having Sex with Men) are coming out for celebration," said Ashwani Kumar, Family Planning Association of India, Panchkula Branch.