The Supreme Court in a historic judgment on September 6 scrapped Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalized homosexuality. The court ruled that the LGBTQ community has the same sexual rights as everyone else, and added that consensual adult sex is not a crime. “The right to live with dignity has been recognized. Sexual orientation is a natural phenomenon determined by biology and science. Any discrimination on that basis is a crime,” the Supreme Court said.
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Love is the single most effective way to protest any form of tyranny. Ten days after the historic judgment of the Supreme Court, Kolkata celebrated by taking the victory lap from Jatin Das Park to Academy of Fine Arts, on Sunday afternoon. A change of location from its usual Deshapriya Park to Park Circus did scatter the participants for few minutes, a confusion which was easily solved later.
Jatin Das Park, which for most of its existence remains closed or hidden behind the eponymous subway entrance, saw an explosion of colours, rainbow hairdoes to rainbow being painted on faces of participants by volunteers, camera personnel moving to and fro to capture the adorable moments of love. Couples giving each other squeezes of confidences, young college students and teenage boys drawing winged eyeliner on each other, trans-people fixing their gowns and sarees smiling and waving at fellow participants, and organizers maintaining the barricade to keep the traffic movement undisturbed and its participants safe.
Familiar faces from city-based organizations, Sappho for Equality, SANHITHA were leading the pride, and friends gathered to blow kisses and hug each other to celebrate the historic victory. The pride gathering had a more cheerful atmosphere than its angry and frustrated participants from Kolkata Pride Walk 2017. Aazadi, though already a common word in the pride slogan, was used as greetings: ‘Aaj toh amar Aazadi,’ ‘Aazadi indeed,’ ‘Aazadi-ta toh first step.’
The scheduled 2 p.m. walk, like most Indian events, began almost an hour late, with a vehicle dressed in rainbow balloons and speakers blaring out ‘Let it Go’ as the opening song. Girls in masks, boys in sarees and dresses, men in red stilettos and pink wedges, women in rainbow wigs or just comfortable T-shirts and trousers, the pride began with a roar as the Rainbow Flag rolled out and covered the human trail following the vehicle. The flag fluttered with pride in hands of hundreds that held it high, accompanied by an occasional stepping on toes as people excitedly rushed to touch it or stopped to pose for the camera persons with handful of the cloth.
The freedom to love unlocked spirits of people who had long been in closet, it was a jubilation that was born out of the struggle that went on for several decades. The verdict of 2018 is a soothing balm as more out and proud and queer allies joined the walk.
Like every pride parade, sloganeering was part of the celebratory walk; calling for the demolition of the Transgender Bill, homophobia, Islamophobia, Bastar, Kashmir and Aazadi from oppression of any kind. Banners and posters particularly concentrated on the Transgender Bill and Homophobia. The walk also gained enough attention from onlookers; a mix of curiosity and confusion but definitely no frowns or slurs were spotted. The pride also saw emotional scenes of hugs, tears, laughter and dances. While scheduled performances kept happening at the front of the trail at every crossing, every once in a while an individual or a couple would break loose to a familiar beat and the whole trail would meet a happy jolt on the road.
The Kolkata Police was ever watchful and helpful at every crossing and corner, guiding the trail and keeping at distance from the traffic which was at its peak at the Exide crossing.
The focused cause for the walk was ‘Down with Fascism, High on Love’. Slogans aimed at the role of democracy and urged to resist hate with love. Call for Aazadi still remained loud, the Aazadi now in demand almost resonates the theme of Arundati Roy’s book, Ministry of Utmost Happiness. Though often the question arises how much political a pride walk should be, when an individual’s private life is seen as a threat and deviant practice to the state and society, a pride should be as political as it can be.
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