I am gay and it’s ok, was the message of city’s second pride march

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, draped in rainbow colours, hundreds of people marched in the city for the second gay pride parade from the Samvidhan Square to show solidarity with the LGBTQ community and to seek a life without fear. We give you a glimpse of this flamboyant rainbow walk…

Stress on education
India’s first gay royal to come out of the closet — Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil — flagged off the march which had many gay, lesbian and transgender youngsters, their family and friends participating for the first time.Despite all the happiness and joy at the march, Prince Manvendra shared some real concerns that still plague the community. He said, “If LGBTQ people want to be accepted by others, they need to come out from the psychological ghetto and educate themselves to break the shackles of fear and ostracism. While our fight against section 377 remains our top priority, as members of the community, we need to address our own problems first. Through this pride march I am conveying this message to the young members of our community.”
National event
Youngsters from all over India participated at this pride march to voice their support for the community. Daniel Hillmer, a German tourist, was overwhelmed with joy to see the pride march in the city as he said, “Just a month ago in my hometown Cologne, the gay community had organised a pride march and I didn’t expect to see the same on my first trip to India. I’m truly happy to see the enthusiasm and courage of these youngsters to fight against a backward law that restricts celebrating love.” We caught up with two youngsters who had come over from Chennai and Kolkata to be a part of this pride. Gay rights activist Ram Rao shared, “No matter where we live in India, our issues and problems are the same, and with this pride march we want to tell everyone that we should also have equal rights in society. We are just fighting for acceptance and respect.” Another youngster Venkatesh Kodukula said, “This is my first visit to Nagpur and I am amazed to see the enthusiasm of the community here. It’s good to see so many youngsters coming out in the open and acknowledging their sexual orientation.”

Straight allies
A lot of straight friends had participated in the pride march to show their support for the community. A student of NKP Salve Institute, Surabhi Mitra, said, “I have been a supporter of LGBTQ rights ever since one of my close friends came out to me. My friends and I are here today to celebrate them and to show the community that they are not alone in this fight for equality.”
Need Gay role models
Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil went on to add, “India needs more gay role models. Today’s LGBTQ youngsters need role models who can inspire change in our society. There are many closeted gay celebrities who still live in fear of hate. I want them to come out as life gets better after living the truth. In fact, their coming out stories can inspire the generations to come.”