Delhi Queer Pride Parade
Since its inception in 2008, where some hundreds gathered in central Delhi to celebrate the first public Pride parade, the community-funded march has grown to become a strong movement that primarily addressed Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which has since been repealed.
The Delhi Queer Pride has maintained independent operations and have chosen to rely on community funding and rejecting any kind of corporate sponsorship, with the aim to focus this unique collective on equal rights, privacy and freedom.
[3] In the beginning, only a small bunch of men and women arrived, and police was also there, but by evening, there were about 500 people singing, dancing, shouting slogans, holding placards, screaming "377, quit India".
[5] The first ever parade was attended by 500 marchers, who carried rainbow-coloured flags and "Queer Dilliwalla" banners marched to bhangra beats.
The parade began from Barakhamba road in the heart of the city's business district and went on till Jantar Mantar, an 18th-century astronomical observatory.
[13] The march ended in Jantar Mantar with a reading of the "Charter of Demands for LGBT Rights" and a two-minute silence for those who died in the recent Nand Nagri fire tragedy.
[20] The march saw hundreds of LGBTQIA+ people and allies walk the two-km stretch from Barakhamba road to Jantar Mantar, ending with a range of performances.
[23][25] On 12 November 2017, Delhi hosted its tenth queer pride parade at from Barakhamba Road till Jantar Mantar.
The demand was to build a proper system of hate crime legislation which conceptualizes all forms of violence against minorities as a punishable offence.
Participants in bright, colourful sarees and feathered head accessories posed with onlookers for selfies and videos, as they marched for more than four hours.
[citation needed] Because of elections, and delay in permission, the 13th Delhi Pride was postponed from November, and was held on 9 January 2023.
[37] Judges from five benches of the Supreme Court, including the Chief Justice, have heard 21 petitions seeking legalisation of the right to marriage for the LGBTQ community.
