India: Fifth annual Kerala Pride takes place with LGBT rights protest
The fifth annual queer pride march took place in Kerala, this weekend, in the city of Kochi.
The protest took place in Kochi for the first time, as it has previously taken place in the Thrissur District.
A public meeting considering harassment and persecution of the LGBT people by authorities and others, took place following the protest.
Revellers at the event told Yahoo that they felt family was the first hurdle to overcome, as “they try to convert to you thinking it is sin to be gay.”
Some also joined the protest from foreign countries including the US.
Queer Pride Keralam Group organised the pride event. The group includes Queerala, a support group for friends and family of the LGBT community, and Sahayathrika, a human rights organisation for lesbian and bisexual women in the state of Kerala.
The parade left from High Court Junction and went down to the Rajendra Maidan.
In December last year, the Indian Supreme Court overturned a previous High Court judgment that said Section 377 of India’s penal code was unconstitutional.
Section 377 bans “sex against the order of nature”, which is widely interpreted to mean same-sex sexual activity.
The decision caused outrage among LGBT activists and many of the county’s politicians.
Previous attempts by campaigners to reverse the Supreme Court ruling have so far failed.
Seven men were arrested under suspicion of breaking Section 377 in Bangalore last month.
