This year Pune will see two Pride Marches with the second march being scheduled on April 23. Shyam Konnur, Founder, MIST LGBTQ Foundation, said four organisations and several individuals from the community will organise the march with the motto of тАШBreaking BarriersтАЩ.
Konnur, while speaking to The Indian Express, said organisations like Qutcast, Mist, Pune Queer Collective and Queer Republic and many other individuals have come together to organise the march on April 23. This march, Konnur said, will allow participants to come with posters of their choice which can be political in nature also. тАЬThe idea of the Pride March is to have the opportunity and comfort to be what people are. Any restrictions about dress, placards, slogans etc defeat the whole purpose of a Pride March. Thus, our motto for the Pride is Breaking Barriers,тАЭ he said.
This will be the first time that Pune is scheduled to see two Pride Marches.
The Yutak Charitable Trust has announced its Pride March, which will be held on June 4. This would be the 11th edition of the march which was organised first by the then Samapathik Trust and later on by the BQRF. Yutak, a relatively young organization, is organising the Pune Pride for the first time this year. Bindumadhav Khire, Director, BQRF, had started the Pride March in Pune through the then Samapathik Trust.
Over the years PuneтАЩs Pride has attracted attention with people from Mumbai also attending the march. The march has seen the participation of corporates, parentsтАЩ allies (non-LGBTQ supporters) and other supporters. But the Pride March has steered clear of politics or political slogans.
While the march has been a visible sign of protest and the presence of sexual minorities, the inclusion of politics and participation of elements had raised eyebrows in some of the pride marches in the country. In 2020, the Mumbai police had revoked permission for the Azad MaidanтАЩs Pride March after messages were circulated linking the march with the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Registry of Citizens (NRC).
Konnur expressed his confidence that participants of the Pride March would use their discretion when raising slogans or carrying placards. тАЬEveryone who would be participating is a mature adult and we leave it to their understanding,тАЭ he said.
Other than just a march, Konnur said pamphlets will be distributed to observers. тАЬWe would also submit a memorandum to the collector with our demands,тАЭ he said.
