To enjoy additional benefits. Updated July 03, 2024 02:44 pm IST. Published July 03, 2024 01:53 pm IST. Members of the LGBTQ community take part in the Pride March at the end of Pride Month, in Chennai on Sunday. Photo Credit: ANI. The event marked the end of June, which is also Pride Month, a commemoration of the contributions made to the LGBTQIA struggle by queer individuals across history, as well as the existing community in the city. For many attendees, Pride march was a celebration, an opportunity to revisit familiar faces within the community and find new ones, a moment to express queer pride and solidarity through the outlets of fashion, performance, and more. The event was chock full of signs with messages that made heads turn for different reasons, ranging from Neutrality in the face of oppression is complicity to Out of the closet, into your mom s heart . To me, Pride is the event that best captures the intersection of personhood and politics, says Shravan, 21, a freelance journalist from Chennai, but I think palpable elements of Pride marches, like the outfits and the funny signs, tend to take away from its political aspects. Pride has always been, at its core, a protest, they said. The 16th edition of Chennai's annual Pride March at Egmore, saw over 5,000 participants from the queer community and their allies marching to drum beats and songs. Photo Credit: Thamodharan B. Political expression at Pride marches have taken a turn in other metropolitan cities such as Mumbai. Colour Positive, the NGO that organises Mumbai s Pride parades, has indicated that signs and slogans that are deemed irrelevant to the queer cause are not allowed at the event. We recognise that identities are intersectional and people are impacted by a variety of oppressions not limited to gender identity and sexuality , says L Ramakrishnan, a member of SAATHII, the public health NGO which has been a coorganiser with the Tamil Nadu Rainbow Coalition since its inception. The coalition has allowed for the advocacy of various causes including animal rights, Palestine, and in solidarity with the survivors of Orlando s Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016. While the sentiments of solidarity expressed at the event extended worldwide, the music and performances kept the proceedings rooted in Chennai. Speakers across the crowd blared oldschool Tamil music while parai attam performers grooved along to the beats of their drums, an integral part of Tamil tradition. It s great that Indian culture is somehow taking centrestage at an event that is typically considered a product of western influence. I love that the Pride march experience is a melting pot, says Amudhini, 22, a participant who works at a PR firm in Chennai. In fact, the Tamil language was instrumental in reframing the concept of queer pride in the context of Chennai. Pride translates to the word perumai in Tamil, which was a term many people did not use in the queer context, says C Moulee, founder of LGBT literary organisation Queer Chennai Chronicles. Pride is about dignity, self respect, and assertion, in the context of LGBT rights. And for me, the Self Respect Movement, founded by Periyar, also meant the same thing, he said. The Chennai Rainbow Pride Parade: Members of the LGBT community and their supporters take part in the pride march in Chennai on Sunday. Photo Credit: RAGU R. The march was initially referred to as the Chennai Rainbow March, but Moulee s suggestion has led it to being known as the Chennai Vaanavil Suyamariyadhai Perani, or the Chennai Rainbow SelfRespect March, since 2015. This move was not holistically wellreceived. The Self Respect Movement is predominantly associated with the anticaste movement, and people have different feelings towards it. They believed that an LGBT Pride March is not the place to bring in caste, said Moulee. The Pride march has become an integral space for all kinds of expression, whether it be political placards or presenting oneself in a way that deviates from the norm, according to Moon, 24, a Sociology student from Loyola College. There were definitely some amused reactions from the people living in the area, but that s alright, in my opinion. The exposure and visibility that Pride marches bring are really important to normalise and humanise our existence in a city like Chennai, they said. Name changed as per request. The Hindu MetroPlusChennai. BACK TO TOP. Terms  conditionsInstitutional Subscriber. Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by ourcommunity guidelinesfor posting your comments. We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.
Chennai's LGBTQ community celebrates Pride Month with a march, emphasizing the political roots of the event. The march featured diverse expressions of queer pride, with participants advocating for various causes and using creative signs and slogans. The event highlighted the intersection of personhood and politics, showcasing the importance of visibility and solidarity within the community.