LGBT Activists March, Pull off Masks in India
Deepali Gaur Singh on July 17, 2008 - 8:00am
http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2008/07/14/lgbt-activists-march-pull-masks-indiaAmidst the riotous colors of rainbow-colored flags, boas and saris, the beating drums and slogan-shouting and an atmosphere of defiance and celebration, sexual minorities made themselves heard in the three cities of Bangalore, Delhi and Calcutta at the Gay Pride Parade on June 29 -- a first-time for many, a decade old for some. This day was chosen by representatives of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall riots of 1969 in New York, sparking the gay rights movement nationwide. In possibly the largest display of gay pride of its kind in India, LGBT activists chanted for their rights, to end discrimination and push for acceptance in a society where intolerance is widespread and where homosexual acts are illegal. As thousands of people in another part of the world celebrated the slow, state-by-state legalization of same-sex marriage, in India the fight is for the decriminalization homosexuality itself.
