Gurgaon takes baby steps at first queer pride parade

An attendance of 250, a few performances, sloganeering that slowed down after a few minutes, and a walk less than a kilometer long – the first Gurgaon Queer Pride Parade was a watered down version of the annual Delhi event. But it’s just the beginning, felt the organizers.
Beneath the Tricolour at Leisure Valley Park, Sector 29, the rainbow-coloured paraphernalia got the attention of the park’s daily visitors on Saturday evening.Many parents picked up the flags and the masks at the insistence of their kids, without thinking much about the motive of the gathering. Ignorance and skepticism were palpable, but it didn’t stop LGBTQ members and their straight allies from having a field day.
Bharat, a gay rights activist and lawyer, said, "Arrey kahan hain Gurgaon ke 6 feet ke sexy and handsome hunks? Kitna suna Haryana ke laundon ke bare mein." The band Mango Duet sang songs like Bob Dylan’s The Times They Are A-Changing, Ananya Panwar, a straight ally, sang a self-composed poem and the likes of Dhiren Borisa, a JNU student, recited poetry.
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Is it easier or more difficult being a community member in Gurgaon? While some said Gurgaon is chilled out, others said in Delhi, they can hope for greater acceptance. So, when Bharat said his two lesbian friends were publicly shamed for their sexual orientation by their neighbour, Rohit Bairagi, a corporate employee said, "Because of dating apps, I know Gurgaon has many gays, but not enough lesbians. Maybe they don’t want to come out."
Many Gurgaon-based participants chose to wear masks, while their friends from Delhi were seen encouraging them to come out. Dhiren said, "People think being homosexual is a ‘rich man’s problem’. So it becomes important for the pride to travel from metro cities to smaller towns."
Puja Bajad, who organised the event in Gurgaon, told us, "We were apprehensive about holding it in Leisure Valley as we didn’t know how people would react, but everything went wel" Mohnish Malhotra, one of the organisers of Delhi Queer Pride, shares with us, "This giant rainbow has been stitched and re-stitched by my parents, travelling from one pride parade to another in the last eight years."
The event ended with participants lighting candles in memory of the queer community members who lost their lives in Orlando, Mexico and Bangladesh recently.