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Chandigarh LGBT Pride Walk

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The Chandigarh LGBTQ Pride Walk is an annual march held as part of the "Garvotsava" pride week celebrations in Chandigarh, the capital city of the northern Indian states of Punjab and Haryana. The event aims to celebrate and bring together the LGBTQ community and its supporters.

Chandigarh was the first city in North India after Delhi to have a pride march in 2013. The parades in Chandigarh are spearheaded by Saksham Trust.[1][2] The Pride March route typically begins at the Panjab University Student Centre and culminates at Sector 17 plaza in Chandigarh.[1] The march incorporates several local folk dances such as Dhol and Gidda.[3]

History

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2013

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The first pride march in Chandigarh was held on 15 March 2013.[4] The parade started from Panjab University Student Centre and ended at the City Centre, which is at the heart of Chandigarh. Although more than 500 people were expected to participate, the turnout was low with only 100 people participating in the city's first pride march.[1][3]

2014

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The second edition of the Chandigarh Pride Walk was organised on 2 March 2014. It was the culmination of the LGBT celebrations week which started on 23 February.[5] The celebrations came against the backdrop of the Supreme Court Verdict on Section 377 on 11 December 2013.[6] The week long celebrations included a conversation on Gender and Sexuality and a Qawwali and Kavi Durbar.[7] During the march, participants raised slogans against the Supreme Court ruling on Section 377 and sought legal and social protections for the LGBT community.[8]

2015

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The city hosted the LGBTIQ Pride parade for the third time on 8 March 2015.[9] This edition saw the participation of a large number of people, especially students of Panjab University, who did not identify themselves as LGBTIQ, but turned up in support of the LGBTIQ people.[10] Students' organisations such as Ambedkar Students' Association (ASA) and Students For Society (SFS) had extended support for the march.[11]

2016

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The fourth edition of the city's pride march took place on 6 March 2016. Several student organisations from Panjab University, IISER and Chitkara University were expected to participate in this edition of the pride march.[12] Their demands included: enactment of comprehensive anti-discrimination laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of age, sex, class, caste, religion, tribe, ability, ethnicity, gender identity and sexual orientation, effective implementation of the provisions of the Supreme Court judgment in NALSA versus Union of India on the rights of trans people, stringent action against violence against minorities and the silencing of freedom of expression and dissent, and repeal of Section 377 (unnatural offences, sex against order of nature) of the Indian Penal Code.[13]

2017

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In 2017, the city named the LGBTQ celebrations "Garvotsav" (translates to: A Festival of Pride) which was a week-long event which wrapped up with the Pride march on 26 March 2017. The festival included a flash mob, plays, film screenings, seminars and other events to encourage open discussion.[14][15] The march was organised by Saksham Trust and Alankar Theatre Chandigarh with support from the Canadian embassy.[16][17]

2018

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The 2018 Chandigarh Pride Week "Garvotsav" celebrations began on 12 March and ended with the Pride March on 18 March 2018. The event was organised by Saksham Trust and Nazariya Foundation, a short film productions company. The Canadian Embassy also co-sponsored the celebrations for the second consecutive year.[18][19]

2019

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The 2019 Chandigarh Pride Week "Garvotsav" starting earlier than previous years, 25 February, ended with a pride march on 3 March 2019. More than 250 people attended the pride march from Punjab University to Sector 17.[20] With this year a special focus on transgender sexual identity acceptance, the walk was organized by Mangalmukhi transgender welfare society and Saksham trust. The pride week got co-funded by the Canadian embassy for the third consecutive year. Several other organisations, Humsafar trust, Harmless Hugs, FPAI and Keshav Suri Foundation collaborated with the NGOs for the walk.[21][22]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Chandigarh's First LGBT Pride Walk On March 15 - Gaylaxy Magazine". gaylaxymag.com. 28 February 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  2. ^ "2013: What It Meant For LGBT India - Gaylaxy Magazine". gaylaxymag.com. 30 December 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  3. ^ a b Mulchandani, Lavina (4 February 2018). "Beyond the Rainbow". Press Reader.
  4. ^ "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories". tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  5. ^ "Chandigarh To Hold Second Queer Pride Parade On March 2nd - Gaylaxy Magazine". gaylaxymag.com. 24 February 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  6. ^ Venkatesan, J. "Supreme Court sets aside Delhi HC verdict decriminalising gay sex". The Hindu. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  7. ^ "Chandigarh To Hold Second Queer Pride Parade On March 2nd - Gaylaxy Magazine". gaylaxymag.com. 24 February 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  8. ^ "Chandigarh Successfully Hosts 2nd LGBT Pride Walk - Gaylaxy Magazine". gaylaxymag.com. 5 March 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  9. ^ Ratnam, Dhamini (3 March 2015). "The Pride returns to Chandigarh". livemint.com/. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  10. ^ "Pride walk brings LGBT issues to heart of city". hindustantimes.com/. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  11. ^ Ratnam, Dhamini (3 March 2015). "The Pride returns to Chandigarh". livemint.com/. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  12. ^ "4th edition of Chandigarh Pride Walk to be held on Sunday". The Indian Express. 6 March 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  13. ^ "LGBT community holds fourth Pride walk at PU". hindustantimes.com/. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  14. ^ "Chandigarh's Garvotsava Ends with Powerful Pride Walk - Gaylaxy Magazine". gaylaxymag.com. 29 March 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  15. ^ Aditya Bondyopadhyay (29 March 2017), Aditya Bondyopadhyay's Speech on LGBT Rights at Chandigarh Pride-26March2017, retrieved 27 July 2017
  16. ^ "Chandigarh LGBTQ Pride Walk 2017: Celebrating the Gender & Sexual Diversity". Chandigarh Bytes. 24 March 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  17. ^ Thakur, Bhartesh Singh. "At PU, Canada reiterates support for transgender rights". Tribune. Archived from the original on 30 June 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  18. ^ "NewsNumber | 6th Edition of LGBT Pride week, Garvotsava 2018 ends on a colourful note". newsnumber.com. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  19. ^ "Pride Week concludes with a rainbow of hope - Times of India ►". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  20. ^ "Garvotsav: Chandigarh Pride 2019: CHANDIGARH: More than 250 people". Latest Punjab News, Breaking News Punjab, India News | Daily Post. 5 March 2019. Archived from the original on 16 May 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  21. ^ "Chandigarh celebrates its various colours with pride - Times of India". The Times of India. 5 March 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  22. ^ "Walking the talk on gender identity".[permanent dead link]
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