With a limited number of people, and many in face masks, the Kerala Queer Pride Parade first took off in Thrissur district in 2009. Ten years later, the Pride March has grown into a union of hundreds of people from the LGBTQI community and their allies, all wearing their hearts on their sleeves.
With the tagline ‘a rainbow celebration of the diversity of love’, the two-day celebration of its 10th edition, Queer Pride Keralam 2019, started on Saturday with cultural shows and discussions to create a safer and inclusive environment for LGBTQI community. Dancing to the rhythm of the chendamelam, the Pride Parade through the heart of the city was the finale of the celebration. Waving rainbow flags and carrying slogans such as ‘My Body, My Right’, ‘Trans Lives Matter’ and ‘Smash Brahmanical Patriarchy’, the march took off from Vanchi Square near the High Court Junction on Sunday afternoon and ended at Durbar Hall in Kochi.
“The community’s growth in the state has been tremendous. When we started the march 10 years ago, despite knowing the importance of being proud of our gender and sexuality, all of us had adorned a mask on our face. It was because of the fear we had — from society and even our families. But now, when I look at this Pride Parade, I can’t see anyone wearing a mask or hiding,” said Faisal Faisu, a founding member of Pride Parade in Kerala, while inaugurating the festival.
During the discussion on Saturday at Durbal Hall in Kochi, noted filmmaker Geetu Mohandas, in an emotional address, stated that her recent film, Moothon, is a tribute to the community. “My film is dedicated to my best friend Micheal, who passed away 20 years ago. He was a homosexual person, who took his own life because society had silenced him. Ever since his death, I was haunted by guilt. Moothon is for him, and all of you,” she said.
For some, the Pride Parade isn’t just a celebration for members of the community but is also a political statement.
“We are living in a state with a transgender policy. We even have identity cards for transgender persons. There is visibility for the community because of this but we should not forget those from among us who killed themselves or were murdered. We still face moral policing and Queer Pride comes here as our political statement,” said Naseema, another founding member of the event.
The members of the community also stated that the state government should ensure that programmes for the community are being implemented. “Despite the various programmes and recognition of the government, Queer Pride is what gives us maximum visibility as we are,” said Faisal Faisu.
