At the Friendship Walk in Kolkata on Saturday. (Express photo by Aditya Paul)Holding the rainbow flag high up in the air, members of the LGBTQ community gathered at Park Circus on Saturday to mark the 20th anniversary of the Friendship Walk. The parade was the first after the Supreme Court order on Section 377 decriminalising homosexuality. And to celebrate this milestone they marched from Rabindra Sadan to Tata Centre, battling rain.
“The first Friendship Walk happened in Kolkata in 1999, which was a landmark event in the history of the LGBTQ movement not only in Kolkata but in India. Today, we are commemorating the 20th anniversary of the walk. This walk laid the path for the later day Pride Walk in Kolkata,” said Rudra, one of the organisers of the event.
On July 2, 1999 a small group of 15 people in Kolkata walked to commemorate the Stonewall Riots that took place in New York on June 28, 1969. This is often considered the first walk to celebrate queer lives in India and South Asia and became the predecessor to subsequent queer pride marches in India. In 2003, the idea of pride walk was revived in Kolkata and in 2008, it became a multi-city event.
“While we have come a long way since 1999, the path towards equal rights for queer people continues to be challenging. Section 377, may have been abolished, but rampant stigma and discrimination against queer people continue. The central government’s plans to pass a draconian law Transgender Rights Bill in conflict with constitutional provisions and the Supreme Court’s NALSA verdict of 2014 is only one issue among many, which require resistance,” said one of the organisers. “I haven’t had the courage to come out to my family yet. My mother thinks that I am writing some exam now,” said a participant who did not wish to be named.
“This is the celebration of 20 years of friendship without any division,” said Tamoghna Tapasya, who was dressed in a bright rainbow-coloured saree. “This is about reclaiming our space in a society that has marginalised us for so long. We want to show the world that we are a different gender and we have an identity too. We celebrate our identity with great vigour. Even if there is rain or hail, we will continue walking,” said Anuradha Dutta, who identifies as a transgender. June 30 will see Chandannagar hosting its 7th queer pride in solidarity with Kolkata Rainbow Walk’s 20th anniversary.
(Shriya Dasgupta is an intern with The Indian Express)
