Marching for their rights

After last year’s successful and Vibrant Queer Pride march, which saw over 600 people celebrating and affirming ‘queer’ lives in Bengaluru alone, the State is gearing up for its second edition christened Karnataka Queer Habba. This year too, lesbians, gays, hijras, khotis, transgenders, bisexuals and supporters of their rights will march similarly in Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, and Bhubaneshwar.

Festivities will begin with a cricket match on June 21 and culminate with the Pride March on June 28. The history behind the 'Queer Pride' goes back to the night of June 28 when armed squads of the New York Police Department (NYPD) raided the Stonewall Inn, an obscure pub in Greenwich Village in New York, that was a regular watering hole of gays.

Like last year, this time too the Pride March will begin at National College, Basavanagudi at 2 pm and will go up to Puttanachetty Town Hall via Sajjan Rao Circle and Minerva Circle and will culminate with a series of speeches on the Town Hall steps. Celebrities including actress Arundhati Nag will address the celebration at the end of the march.

Some of the other events include Queering the Pitch: Cricket Match on June 21 (10 am to 5 pm) at RBANMS Play Ground, Gangadhar Chetty Road, Ulsoor.

The Dalit-sexual minorities dialogue on stigma and discrimination will be held on June 22 (11 am to 4 pm) at Indian Social Institute (ISI), 24 Benson Road.

Film Screening of One in Ten and Desert Hearts will he held on  June 24, 6 pm at Swabhava Office, 4th Floor, No 1, MS Plaza, 13th A Cross, 4th Main Road, Sampangiramnagar (opposite Sampangiramnagar Police Station).

Public discussion on Religion and Sexuality will happen on June 25, 4.30 pm to 7 pm at the United Theological College (UTC), Miller’s Road.