Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: The rainbow flag that symbolizes the pride of Queer community fluttered in the sky at Dighalipukhuripar here besides rending the air with the slogan of freedom to mark the 7th annual Queer/LGBTQIA pride walk on Sunday.
Ignoring the conservative thought and discrimination of the society, over hundreds of queer individuals took to the streets and participated in the 7th Queer Pride Walk supported ably by their allies.
This time, the Queer Pride Walk holds several aims and demands. Their first aim is to take to the streets so as to show the society and the government that such a vibrant community exists with all might and pride. The other aims include seeking the welfare of the community and get assured of that it is alright to be what they are.
The queer community however claimed that even after the decriminalization of homosexuality by the Supreme Court of India way back in 2018, the condition of the queer community has not yet improved. They further claimed that the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Acts, 2019 has failed to uplift the condition of the transgender population. According to the queer individuals even after Supreme Court’s move, same sex marriage is still not recognized. Hence Homosexual parents are not allowed to adopt children. The demands of this year’s pride walk are – to make the update NRC process inclusive of transgender people, to make LGBTQ+ issues a part of school and college curricula, amendments of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 as per the demands of the transgender community, the setting up of a transgender welfare board in Assam.