Gays march in
three Indian cities
Some 2,000 GLBT people staged pride marches in the Indian cities of Calcutta, Bangalore and Delhi June 29, the first such parades in the latter two cities.
About 500 people marched in Calcutta, 700 in the high-tech city of Bangalore and about 800 in Delhi.
"When the pride started ( in Delhi ) , there were about 100 people and it looked like we were outnumbered by the media and the police," said correspondent Vikram Doctor. "By the time we started ( marching ) , though ... more and more people were coming along and getting attached to the end. I was walking back and forth, trying to help with media requests, and I got a sense of how large it was growing when I realized in addition to the main group carrying the flag upfront, there was a second large group behind with placards and doing dances—and then a really large group of stragglers behind."
Calcutt's seventh parade focused heavily on Section 377, the Indian law that bans gay sex under penalty of up to 10 years in prison. A court case, now at a crucial phase, could see the law 'read down' so it no longer applies to consensual adult gay sex.
"India continues to stigmatize its transgender, kothi, hijra, gay, lesbian, bisexual and other communities of marginalized sexualities and genders,"organizers said. "Section 377 ... encroaches upon a person's democratic rights, goes against the spirit of the Indian Constitution and impedes life-saving sexual health work among sexual minorities."
The parade was part of Rainbow Pride Week, which also featured movies, a photo exhibit, a panel discussion and a candlelight memorial for people lost to anti-gay abuse or HIV.
"Clearly, Indian sexual minorities are not going to settle for status quo and are garnering support from different stakeholders, media included, in their struggle to be free from discrimination, receive respect from all sections of society, and function as equal participants in a progressive and democratic India," organizers said at the parade's conclusion.
The Queer Media Collective issued a statement saying that GLBT people in India today find themselves at about the same point U.S. gays were when the first pride parades began in 1970.
"LGBT people face a lot of harassment from the police," the group said. "Lesbians are subject to violence and even forced to commit suicide by their families. Gay men are blackmailed by organized rackets that involve members of the police. Bisexuals are denied the chance to express same-sex love and forced into opposite-sex marriages. Transgenders are routinely arrested and raped by the police. Same-sex couples who have lived together for years cannot buy a house together, have a joint bank account or will their property to each other without being challenged by their families. ... Today in 2008, Queer Pride goes national as a sign that the time for national change has come."
Image: In cities across India on June 29, thousands of people staged Pride marches. Bangalore photo by Curt Gambetta via Wockner News
Czech pride
attacked,
20 injured
The Czech Republic's first gay pride parade, held in the city of Brno, came under attack from extremist and neo-Nazi protesters June 28 and at least 20 of the 500 marchers were injured.
The 150 counterdemonstrators threw tear gas, fireworks and eggs at the marchers.
Police and neo-Nazis clashed for about 45 minutes at the parade's endpoint. About 15 of the troublemakers were arrested.
—Assistance: Bill Kelley