Patna Celebrates its 7th Bihar Pride Parade

On the 14th of July, Patna saw and participated in the Bihar Pride Parade. The march witnessed thousands of people decked in the colours of the rainbow gather and unabashedly celebrate love. From a crowd of just 20 back during the first Parade in 2012, hundreds gathered and carried a massive 500 metre long Trans flag. Despite the swap, many turned up to show their solidarity and support for the queer community.

The same date, which is also the International Non-Binary Day, took Pride to the streets of our homeland, spanning 1.8 kilometres overcoming the heat and homophobia.

17-year-old Tanmay, in an interview with Patna Beats, talks about the recent legislation – Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2019. According to the Bill, the District Magistrate shall give certificates that acknowledge and legitimize their trans-identities. It’s a step forward but not the end goal. It is also problematic because the jury did not consult members of the actual community before passing the bill.

With incredibly clever, stirring and strong words littering the banners and  posters, the image was certain to be a lasting one.

In the same interview, Ayush, a Delhi Queer Activist, urged all those who still remain closeted to come out and support those out on the streets fighting and making their presence known. 

With the scrapping of Article 377, which was a landmark win for the community, many assumed the battle was done. However, that’s just the first of many steps in the complete liberation of the community. There is a long way to go before members of the LBGTQIA community achieve a level of dignity synonymous with the privileges of the heteronorm.

While “Love is love” was spotted as characteristic of every march, other slogans such as “Rights are rights” were also used during the march.  Students, activists, and social-interest groups all joined hands and stood in solidarity with the community. 

Reshma Prasad, the face of the parade, was spotted basking in their glory and remarking about the change that has come about. The non-Queer folks were slowly growing more liberal and accepting, which encouraged others to come out of their closets. Their Dostana Safar, which organised this Pride, hopes that this movement only progresses in the future and encourages the community to come forth and take back all that has been denied to them for years. It is an all uphill from here.

Originally published by: Patna Beats