Gujarat gears up LGBT pride march in Vadodara, Ahmedabad

Surat was among the first cities in Gujarat to have held a pride walk in October last year.

Around 500 people are all set to take part in one of the biggest LGBT(lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) Pride March to be held on Monday (December 1) in Ahmedabad which is also celebrated as the World Aids Day. While the march is being held for the second time in the city, it will witness members of the LGBT community from various cities take to the streets to sensitise people on HIV-related issues and the community also aims to make a pitch for their rights including repealing the Section 377.

The Ahmedabad LGBT Pride March walk on Monday which will start from Bata House to Income Tax six roads has been organised by Swavlambi Chuval Mandal and is expected to bring together members of around 15 NGO’s in the city and also from Mumbai and other cities.

“As the city’s Mayor Minaxiben Patel is out of station, we are planning to call on AMC health committee chairman Shambhu Vataliya and two corporators from Navrangpura to flag off the pride march. While last year saw around 150 participants, this time we are expecting more than 500 people participating in the march,”said Falguni Prajapati, project officer of Swavlambi Chuval Gram Mandal,an NGO which works for LGBT rights in the city.

Story continues below this ad

Incidentally Ahmedabad’s LGBT pride march follows Vadodara which witnessed a ‘gay pride march’ on Sunday evening between Genda circle to Chakli circle on the Race Course road. A two-day festival was held at Vadodara which included Kashish film festival organized by Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival (KMIQFF) that featured some of the prominent films on LGBT issues from across the world. It was followed by musical performances by local bands at Swastik Auditorium at Ellora Park area in Vadodara and the LGBT pride march.

Incidentally, Surat was among the first cities in Gujarat to have held a pride walk in October last year, that was then followed up by similar walks held in Vadodara and Ahmedabad thereby putting Gujarat on the LGBT map of India.

“This is the first time we have organised a film festival to spread awareness among the general public about LGBT rights and issues faced by this community. Around 200 people from various cities and Vadodara will be taking part in the gay pride walk to sensitise people. Even as the LGBT community and NGO’s associated with them keep talking about HIV, we felt that these numbers are increasing and that more sensitization is required. However the march in both cities (Vadodara and Ahmedabad) would be ‘rights-based’ where we would be sensitizing people about Section 377. Many of LGBT-related issues are being are made into crimes. It is our right to get physically or emotionally attached to people and it is also part of human rights that we are asking for which we hope to communicate through these events,” said Ankur Patil from Foram Foundation, an NGO in Vadodara.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram