A burst of colours engulfed Kolkata on Sunday afternoon as the city wrapped up its month-long Pride Month celebration with the annual Kolkata Rainbow Pride Walk. One could feel an electrifying energy in the air as thousands marched. Dancing to the beats of the music and drums, the participants marched for more than three hours from Park Circus to the Maidan. The vibrant attires, the sassy slogans and the proud display of LGBTQIA+ flags at the Pride Walk were truly a sight to behold. However, the rainbow flag wasn’t the only thing soaring high, stripes of green, black, white and red could also be seen fluttering.
Participants at the Kolkata Pride Walk showed solidarity with Palestine
Waving the Palestinian flag, participants at the Kolkata Rainbow Pride Walk showed solidarity with Palestine. Carrying banners reading “Queers against Genocide”, “No one is free until we all are free” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free”, the participants demanded liberation of Palestine.
‘Right to marriage is a basic human right’
Pushpak Sen, a fashion influencer and stylist, at the march
This was the first Pride Walk in the city after the Supreme Court’s verdict on the legalisation of same-sex marriage. The verdict, while recognising the individual’s right to marry, left it to the Parliament to decide on legal sanctity of same-sex unions. The apex court left the queer community disheartened, but the participants of the December 17 Kolkata Pride Walk displayed remarkable resilience.
“Marriage equality is important because it’s not only about being able to marry whoever you like, it’s also about the rights that are denied to us,” said fashion influencer and stylist Pushpak Sen.
“I think that the Supreme Court’s judgement should be heard once again and we are not going to stop voicing our opinions against this judgement,” he added.
Participants at the Kolkata Rainbow Pride Walk
Another participant, Shreya, who is part of the queer community, said, “I feel that marriage is a dated institution, but I also think that people should have the choice whether or not it’s something they want to get into. Marriages come with a lot of structural benefits that are available only to heterosexual couples. This is unfair.”
“We also want a family, want to have partnerships and basic human rights. We shall keep fighting for it,” said Megha Kaur, a participant at the Pride Walk.
“Celebrating pride means fighting against patriarchal oppression. We want the same rights in a democratic country. We don’t want to be social outcasts. We don’t want people to look down upon us. We want our needs and demands to be met,” echoed writer and journalist Suman Sadhu.
Speaking about Nepal being the first South Asian nation to formally register same-sex marriages, he also said that he’s hopeful that India too can achieve marriage equality in future.
‘Parental acceptance is very important’
Parents of queer children and members of Sweekar at the Kolkata Rainbow Pride Walk Mahua Seth of Sweekar
This year’s Pride Walk also left an indelible mark, as parents turned out in large numbers to express support for their queer children.
“We believe that parental acceptance is very important to children, particularly because it gives them the strength to face the world,” said Mahua Seth, founder of The Rainbow Room and member of Sweekar, a support group for parents of LGBTQIA+ children, which also joined the march.
“Sweekar originally started in Bombay and there are about 450 parents in our group. Through this group, we offer peer counselling to parents who can’t come to terms with their children’s sexuality. It’s a very important step towards self-acceptance, towards living a happy and fulfilling life. The stigma associated with it, the discrimination and the lack of acceptance of LGBTQIA+ children in society, put a lot of pressure on the parents. At Sweekar, we help them support their children,” Mahua added.
Denying marriage equality while decriminalising homosexuality is unfair, she said. The Supreme Court’s verdict is bound to have legal ramifications for queer couples. “Sweekar parents are really upset and we are going to keep campaigning for this,” Mahua signed off.
