Pride Month is celebrated in June annually, to mark the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City that catalysed the recognition of rights for the LGBTQIA+ community in the United States of America. These trailblazing confrontations were led by African-American and Latinx transgender activists who fought against discriminatory raids by the police and the brutality inflicted on the LGBTQIA+ community in New York. The peaceful protests against unfair laws and socio-cultural norms that excluded them from society brought about a radical change with regard to the community’s rights and identity.
Today, the month sees several vibrant star-studded parades, colourful street festivals, parties, workshops, and picnics held all around the world. Indians also celebrate queer love through vibrant pride parades and events. Here are the ones that you can’t afford to miss.
Popular pride parades in India
Delhi Queer Pride Parade
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The Delhi Queer Pride usually happens on the last Sunday of November. June is too hot in Delhi for a march. The parade is organised by members of the Delhi Queer Pride Committee to honour the whole queer community and their allies. The annual LGBTQ+ Pride march began in 2008 with a few hundred people in attendance. The first parade was attended by 500 marchers, who sang, danced, held placards raised slogans, and carried rainbow-coloured flags from Barakhamba Road to Jantar Mantar.
Chennai Rainbow Pride Parade
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This is the only Indian pride parade that takes place during the global Pride Month in June. Held on the last Sunday of June, the march is organised by the members of Tamil Nadu LGBTQ+ communities under the banner of Tamil Nadu Rainbow Coalition. The first march was held in 2009. The Chennai Rainbow Pride March is held after a month-long celebration. Several events such as panel discussions, film screenings, cultural performances, and awareness campaigns precede the march.
Bengaluru Namma Pride March
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Organised by the Bengaluru-based Campaign for Sexuality Minorities Rights (CSMR), a coalition of many LGBTQ+ and allied groups and individuals. The march is held either in June or November-December and is preceded by a month of queer events and activities. Thousands of members from the LGBTQ+ community and allied groups dress in their colourful best and gather with flags, posters, and placards. The march was previously called the Bengaluru Pride and Karnataka Queer Habba. It is being held since 2008.
Kolkata Rainbow Pride Walk
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Kolkata is where the country’s first queer pride march was held in July 1999. The Kolkata Rainbow Pride Walk is India and South Asia’s oldest pride parade. Back in 1999, it was titled The Friendship Walk. Today, the march is organised by the Kolkata Rainbow Pride Festival with the aim of raising awareness about equality, tolerance, love, and solidarity, and strengthening the voice for equality for all, regardless of gender, religion, or sexuality. The march is held by members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community, who walk in solidarity with all rights-based movements.
Chandigarh Pride March
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This annual pride parade is held as part of Chandigarh‘s Garvotsava Pride Week celebrations. The first march was held in March 2013 from Panjab University Student Centre to the City Centre. The march celebrates social and self-acceptance and hard-won legal rights. Spearheaded by Saksham Trust, the Chandigarh Pride March aims to bring together the LGBTQ+ community and its supporters. One also gets to see folk performances, where participants celebrate love to the tunes of dhol and gidda.
Queer Azaadi Mumbai Pride
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This parade is organised by Queer Azaadi Mumbai, a collective of individuals and organisations in Mumbai. Also known as Queer Azaadi Mumbai Pride March or Mumbai Pride March, the annual parade begins from the August Kranti Maidan and culminates at Girgaum Chowpatty. The march is also attended by straight allies of the LGBTQ+ community. While the first pride march in Mumbai was held in 2005, the first official Queer Azaadi March was started on August 16, 2008, with some 500 participants.
Awadh Queer Pride Parade
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This may come as a surprise to some of you as Lucknow is often considered a conservative city. Lucknow hosted its first pride parade in April 2017 with some 300 participants, who had come from Mumbai, Jaipur, Chandigarh, and Kolkata. The 6th Awadh Queer Pride Parade was held on March 27, 2022, from Dainik Jagran crossing to GPO. Cheerful participants of the LGBTQ+ community dance and sing to celebrate their journey, struggles and sacrifices.
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