March with Pride

The festival,which usually happens around July,has been re-scheduled to November this year to avoid the summer heat. The re-scheduling however ensures that the march coincides with the Nigah Queer Festival,that highlights Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender and Inter-sex (LGBTI) issues. “Following the Delhi High Court judgement last July,that ruled Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code as unconstitutional and violating the rights and dignity of queer Indians,we decided to focus on freedom as a theme for this year’s Queer Festival,” says activist Gautam Bhan,one of the curators of the visual and performing arts package for Nigah.

Some of the performances that are already confirmed for the fest is a piece by dancer and yoga exponent Navtej Johar,while activist and stand-up comedian Pramada Menon will be doing a new take on her routine of Fat,Feminist and Free. “We are currently pooling in ideas to get people more involved. We have come up with concepts like ‘design your pride’ wherein people are being invited to send in slogans and designs for queer art. The selected entries will be printed on banners and tee shirts,” says Mohnish Kabir Malhotra,one of the organisers of the Pride March.

A more elaborate celebration is also part of this year’s programme. “We hope to expand the route of the actual pride march and have a dancing float with DJs and live music,so that people can enjoy themselves. Our drag queens will have their usual performances and wear their colourful costumes and there will be a lot more colour and drama,thanks to all the masks and feather boas. Of course all these depend on police permission,” he adds.

“This year our demands are different. Post the High Court ruling,we intend to focus on making sure that it goes through in the Supreme Court as well. So while we are celebrating,we cannot forget the hard work that lies ahead of us,” says Menon.

Entries for the film segment of the festival have already started coming in. Mario D’penah,who is curating the film package says that though there has never been a defined theme for the films,the intention this year is to make it more inclusive. “With our expanding politics of queerness we hope to include topics and issues that embrace being queer beyond the LGBTI community. By that definition anyone who is willing to challenge the normative,practices queer politics,” he says.