Mumbai Queer Pride Parade Set To Kick Off After 4-Year Gap; Film Festivals, History Walks, & 'Q' Games On The Horizon

Mumbai's annual Queer Pride Month will start next week with a youth festival and end with the Queer Pride March from the historic August Kranti Maidan on February 3. The calendar of events features film festivals, history walks, flash mobs, health camps, and 'Q' games at Juhu Beach on January 14.

The parade will be held after a gap of four years when government permissions were difficult  because of the Covid epidemic and other reasons.

Parade comes after disheartening SC order

Coming after the disheartening Supreme Court order on marriages and adoptions in October 2023, organisers said they have not allowed the disappointment to cloud their sentiments. "The entire community and volunteers have tried to keep it positive. It is not that we have lost hope in the government. We have tried to keep the march, the sentiments, and the sloganeering as positive, safe, and peaceful as possible," said Winnie Chopra, a member of the organising committee for Mumbai Queer Pride.

Sohail Abbasi, founder member of Humsafar Trust, a group working with the LGBTQIA + community and a member of the event's organising committee, said the event brings people from outside Mumbai. "People are excited because the Pride March is a significant calendar event for locals and for people from cities like Pune, Bengaluru, Delhi and other places. Walking in the Pride March gives a sense of empowerment.

Events planned

The first event in the festival will be a youth festival by QKnit Foundation at KES Shroff College, Kandivali. Other venues will host panel discussions, book readings, film screenings, and workshops on health and education There will be a meeting of businesses run by gay entrepreneurs, organised by Samavesh Chamber of Commerce. 

The Pride March will focus on issues like the need for anti-discrimination and anti-violence laws, welfare-boards and councils, and easier access to education and health for members of the community.