A life without fear: LGBTQ rights activists march in annual New Delhi parade

Gay rights activists and their supporters march during the Delhi Queer Pride Parade in New Delhi on Sunday. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

Updated on: Nov 27, 2016 7:21 PM IST

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Gay rights activists and their supporters march during the Delhi Queer Pride Parade in New Delhi on Sunday. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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Hundreds of gay rights activists marched in a parade in New Delhi on Sunday. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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The march was aimed at highlighting the continuing discrimination India’s LGBT community faces and demanding the repeal of a law criminalizing homosexual acts. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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The participants marched to the beat of drums. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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Some participants in the annual gay pride parade said much has changed in recent years, with people starting to accept them. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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But others said India’s right-wing government is against the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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Activists had cheered in 2009 when the New Delhi High Court declared as unconstitutional Section 377 of the Penal Code, which criminalizes homosexual acts. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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But the judgment was overturned four years later when India’s Supreme Court decided that amending or repealing Section 377 should be left to Parliament, not the judiciary. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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Gay rights activists and their supporters during the Delhi Queer Pride Parade on Sunday. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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Section 377 of the IPC makes gay sex punishable by up to 10 years in prison. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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Over the past decade, homosexuals have gained a degree of acceptance in India, especially in big cities. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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Many bars have gay nights, and some high-profile Bollywood films have dealt with gay issues. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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Still, being gay is seen as shameful in most of the country, and many homosexuals remain closeted. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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Kanhaiya Kumar (former President of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union) during the Delhi Queer Pride Parade on Sunday. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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Draped in rainbow colours, hundreds of people marched in the heart of the national capital to show solidarity with the LGBTQ community. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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The activists made a united call for equality of gender and sexuality and seeking “a life without fear”. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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Organised by the Delhi Queer Pride Committee, the march kicked off from the corner of Barakhamba Road and Tolstoy Marg. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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One of the organisers, Rituparna Borah, said this year’s parade saw a greater participation than the last year, with around 800-1,000 people turning out. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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This year’s march was also in support of Dalits, Muslims, women, disabled, Kashmiris, people in the North-East, Adivasis, academics, filmmakers and students. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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The march saw demands being voiced by a wide section of society - from the demand to live free of fear to calls to break down patriarchal mindsets. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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The Parade is a yearly festival, held on the last Sunday of November, to honour and celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and many gender and sexual non-conforming people, and their supporters. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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Gay rights activists and their supporters march during the Delhi Queer Pride Parade. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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The march was aimed at highlighting the continuing discrimination India’s LGBT community faces and demanding the repeal of a law criminalizing homosexual acts. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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“People from all walks of life, identifying with different sexual orientations and genders took part in the parade, that culminated at Jantar Mantar,” an organiser said. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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Being gay is still seen as shameful in most of the country, and many homosexuals remain closeted. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)