MUMBAI
More than 3,000 marchers take part in the city’s annual gay parade on Saturday.
For those who watched Saturday’s gay pride march in the city, the most striking observation was that compared to earlier parades, only a handful of marchers wore masks this time.
As the gay community celebrates the process of decriminalisation of homosexuality in the country, few participants at the parade felt the need to wear disguises. Vivek Anand, chief executive of Humsafar Trust, a group working with the gay, lesbian and transgender community said, “We were out there, without trying to hide who we are. There were a few mask-wearers, but most marchers were not afraid or ashamed to be there. This was the biggest change in the march.”
Marcher Praful Baweja said, “The whole idea of a gay pride march is to be proud of oneself and not hide yourself in the closet. In that way, this parade was a success.”
Gay pride marches have been an annual affair in the city since 2005. But it began to be called the Queer Azadi March only from 2008. This year, the parade attracted record participation. One of the groups that stationed volunteers at the gate of Gowalia Tank Maidan, the starting point of the march, counted over 3,000 participants, the biggest number so far.
People began collecting at the Gowalia Tank ground in the afternoon and the march started at 4pm, ending an hour later at Chowpatty Beach, some 3km away. It was flagged off by actor Celina Jaitley. Like other gay pride parades, this too took the form of a colourful carnival with drummers, dancers and costumed participants. A huge rainbow-flag lead the parade. There were families with children and some marchers had brought their dogs bedecked with colourful bows.
Almost 20 organisations were part of the parade and as spectators watched the diverse groups, including beautiful women in mini-skirts and macho-looking men, many stereotypes about the community fell by the wayside. Marchers distributed pamphlets saying ‘One World — One Hope’ to bystanders. They encountered very little hostility or jeers from onlookers. “I have been to gay parades abroad and I have seen that there is more homophobia in some of the western countries. In our country, there is more ignorance and less of hatred,” said Anand.
At Chowpatty, the parade was not allowed to enter the beach in deference to a high court order that prohibits rallies there. Many of the marchers were unhappy and crowded the footpath outside the beach but dispersed an hour later. Many even gathered at Cafe Ideal across the road for an impromptu and rambunctious party. For those with special invitations, there was a post-march celebration at Liquid Lounge, the night club next door.
IND vs AUS: Rishabh Pant joins Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma in elite WTC list, becomes 3rd Indian to...
'All scripted drama...': Puneet Superstar allegedly assaulted by influencers in viral video, watch
Actress Ana de Armas caught kissing Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel’s son in viral photos
Oreshnik's Shadow: Will Russia's hypersonic missile force west to back down?
‘You’re So Beautiful’: World’s tallest woman meets world’s shortest woman over tea, pics go viral
Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: Consequences of GRAP-4 are drastic, may have adverse effects, says SC
Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: Schools likely to stay closed till..., check city-wise update
Maharashtra: 3 killed, 9 hospitalised after gas leak at fertiliser plant in Sangli
THIS farm is selling a cup of coffee for Rs 28000, but there's a twist, it is...
Chhattisgarh: 10 Maoists killed after encounter with security personnel in Sukma
Mukesh Ambani's SUPERHIT plan for Jio users, offers unlimited 5G access for 1 year for just Rs...
IND vs AUS 1st Test: KL Rahul's dismissal sparks DRS controversy in Perth Test
Dense fog, heavy rain predicted in these states till November 25; check here
Oreshnik Hypersonic Missile: Which nations are within its range?
Bihar teacher, principal reach school in drunken state; know what happened next
'I have faced a lot of...': Arjun Kapoor REVEALS his biggest fear amid break up with Malaika Arora
How millions of Indians may get affected due to US indictment of Gautam Adani in bribery case
Amid divorce rumours with Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan says 'missing someone is okay but...'
After Bibles, watches and sneakers, Donald Trump is now selling autographed guitars, price is...
Delhi pollution: Air quality improves to ‘very poor’ category, AQI at...
Vladimir Putin's BIG threat, warns he could strike UK with new ballistic missile if...
Shillong Teer Results TODAY November 22, 2024 Live Updates: Check winning numbers here
Somebody misbehaved with Alia Bhatt on Highway sets then Imtiaz Ali had to...
Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal reveals twist behind Rs 200000 job fee, closes application window
Days after Ratan Tata's demise, Tata Group's Rs 131000 crore company inks pact with ADB for...
WATCH: Woman makes Biryani with Parle-G biscuits, viral video fumes internet
Only train in India in which passengers can travel for FREE; check route, timings and more
'Justice for biryani': Parle-G biryani takes internet by storm, video goes viral
DNA TV Show: Why Gautam Adani charged with bribery and fraud in US
IND vs AUS: Records Virat Kohli can break during Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Diljit Dosanjh fans get angry over Ananya Panday's birthday post for her grandmother, here's why
Reddit suffers outage with ‘upstream connect error’ message, says 'currently investigating...'
Border-Gavaskar Trophy: How has Jasprit Bumrah fared in Tests in Australia?
Delhi records coldest night of the season, temp drops to...
Crossing the Line: Ukraine's Use of Storm Shadow Missiles and the Escalation of Conflict
When Malaika Arora talked about the controversial ‘instant pleasure’ ad, it was for…
This is the world’s most expensive shopping street, not Fifth Avenue, New Bond Street, it is...
Big setback for Gautam Adani, Kenya cancels Rs 6216 crore deal with Adani Group due to...
Viral video: Man’s jugaad to stay warm in winter will leave you SHOCKED, watch here
Hinduja Group firm gets key approval for acquisition of Anil Ambani's debt-ridden Reliance Capital
Viral video: Middle-Class man lives dream of having tea at Taj Hotel, netizens applauds
Shloka Mehta looks stunning in white floral kurta as she clicked with Akash Ambani, it costs Rs....
Who is Sagar Adani, Gautam Adani's nephew, accused of bribery, fraud charges in US?
PayPal down: Several users face issue while logging into accounts, say 'no one could...'
IND vs AUS: Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins eye historic captaincy milestone in Perth Test
BGT 2024, Ind vs Aus: Can Shubhman Gill be the new Cheteshwar Pujara? Is he really ready?