MIST LGBTQ Foundation, 7 other groups join hands to organise Pune Pride March in ‘trying times’

Transgender dhol tasha group Shikhandi to perform during the Pune Pride March.

Pune is one of the few cities that witnesses two Pride Marches. (Representational Photo)

MIST LGBTQ Foundation has roped in seven other groups to co-organise its annual Pune Pride March scheduled to be held on June 1.

Making the announcement on Friday, Shyam Konnur, Founder Director, MIST LGBTQ Foundation, said special events leading up to the Pride March would be held starting this weekend.

The seven groups that have joined the MIST LGBTQ Foundation’s Pride March are Qutcast Pune, Shikhandi (the transgender dhol tasha group), Pune Queer Sports Club, Muktaa Foundation, NHRD Foundation, Girl Up Jeevika, and Manthan Foundation.

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Konnur said the decision to join hands was taken so that the community could show a united front. “The community as such is facing a backlash – be it the decision of the US government to restrict genders to just male and female, or companies deciding to discontinue their Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) policies. These are trying times for us. The Pride March for the community is a symbol of protest, and we want to put a united front for the community,” he said.

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The run up to the Pride March would see events like the celebration of the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), an international film festival, as well as a sports competition. Shikhandi would perform during the Pride March, Konnur said.

MIST LGBTQ Foundation was one of the Indian organisations funded by USAID, but it lost the funding post the re-election of Donald Trump as the US president. MIST, which works in the domain of HIV prevention, has since then turned to crowdfunding to run its programs.

Pune is one of the few cities that witnesses two Pride Marches. The other Pride March will be held later in June.

Parthasarathi Biswas

Partha Sarathi Biwas is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express with 10+ years of experience in reporting on Agriculture, Commodities and Developmental issues. He has been with The Indian Express since 2011 and earlier worked with DNA. Partha's report about Farmers Producer Companies (FPC) as well long pieces on various agricultural issues have been cited by various academic publications including those published by the Government of India. He is often invited as a visiting faculty to various schools of journalism to talk about development journalism and rural reporting. In his spare time Partha trains for marathons and has participated in multiple marathons and half marathons. ... Read More

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