LGBTQ+ community holds pride march in Delhi, flags long struggle for marriage rights

LGBTQ+ community held their annual “pride march” in New Delhi, attended by 1,500 people, to celebrate sexual diversity and fight for marriage rights. The event was organised by Noor Enayat, who said political parties promise rights but don’t deliver. Aarti Mishra, 71, attended with her granddaughter, who is part of the community. The march was a protest against the Supreme Court’s refusal to legalise same-sex marriages, with community members saying it’s up to them to fight for their rights.

Members of the LGBTQ+ community on Sunday held their annual pride march in the city, celebrating sexual diversity amid a sense of the long struggle to secure marriage rights.

The event comes after the recent Supreme Court refused to legalise same-sex marriages in a ruling last month, leaving it to Parliament to come out with a law over it. The march, called ‘The Delhi Queer Pride’, was started in 2008, with only a few hundred people in attendance then. The participation in the event has grown over the years.

This year’s march was taken from Barakhamba Road to Jantar Mantar and it was attended by close to 1,500 people, who carried banners and raised slogans for the rights of the community members.

The Delhi police stationed more than 100 security personnel on the way to manage the crowd and ensure safety for all.

While the community members hoped that Parliament would recognise same-sex marriages through a law one day, those present on the occasion said it will require a “good fight”.

Noor Enayat, one of the organisers of the march, said political parties promise to ensure equal rights for community members in their manifestos, but the promises remain on paper only. “But we will still show up in large numbers (in elections), proving that the community has a voice, that’s out and proud,” Noor Enayat said.

Aarti Mishra (name changed), 71, came with her granddaughter, who is differently-abled and part of the community.