Northeast pride walk amid threats

GUWAHATI: Anamika Choudhury (name changed), a lesbian, couldn’t have dreamt that one day she would proudly take part in a gay pride walk in her own city.
On Sunday she was one of the 200 participants from the Northeast’s Lesbian Gays Bisexuals and Transgender (LGBT) community in the second edition of Northeast Pride Walk.
Amid intimidation from the right wing fringe groups, the second edition of the Northeast Pride Walk was organized with much fanfare in which 150 people from the community from across the NE region ‘walked the walk’ for a cause.
Organized by different support groups working for the region’s LGBT community, the objective of the event is to create a platform for these people to voice their issues and garner support from the rest of the society.
The second edition of the event, for the first time, had participants from other parts of NE, too. Song and dance performances and poetry recitations added zing to the colourful parade. A lesbian band from Shillong, too, participated in the event.
“We received intimidating calls from some fringe groups warning us of dire consequences if we organize or take part in the event. But we are thankful that the local administration has made adequate security arrangements. Besides, there were participants from mainstream society as well,” said Gayatri, an organizing member.
The event was also an attempt to highlight the restrictions imposed on the people with alternative sexualities and on the importance of granting the space required to lead a life of dignity for the community people.