Much Love To Sikkim’s First Ever Queer Pride Parade

Sikkim observed its first ever Pride Parade on January 27, in the heart of Gangtok. On the last Sunday of January, members of the LGBTQIA community organized the first ever Queer Pride Walk in the state, four months after the Supreme Court verdict on the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Section 377 of the IPC.

The members left no stone unturned to make the event a memorable one. With rainbow flags, balloons and celebratory music beats, the streets of Gangtok adorned a happy and gay look. Starting from the Butterfly Bridge at Deorali, the march which led up to the Palzor Stadium, saw the participation of members of the LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual) community from not only the hill, but also from Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Siliguri, Guwahati, and even from Bhutan. A happy and surprised Kem Josui, who came all the way from Bhutan to be a part of the march, said, “I am amazed to see so many people from our community turning up for this parade.”

“We are celebrating decriminalisation of homosexuality for the first time in Sikkim, our main agenda is to make people aware about the emerging sexual terminologies (LGBTQIA), especially those who are underprivileged and live in the hinterland, in order to guide them and counsel them”, said the key organiser, Lhamu Dukpa of Rainbow Hill Association, which works on gender issues and rights for the community in Sikkim.

Another participant, Indrani, who came from Guwahati, said, “Decriminalisation of section 377 by the Supreme Court is just the beginning of the battle. There are many more civil rights to achieve, and the government has more to do for these sexual minorities.” And, it wasn’t just the LGBTQIA who made it to the march – others too came to support the cause, including many students of the Sikkim Manipal University.

 “Like many others, I’m also surprised that finally, people came out to support us. It is a very overwhelming experience for me and for everyone participating, though we expect more people coming out. Unfortunately, people in the hills still attach stigma with homosexuality,” said another organiser of the Rainbow Hill Association, Tshering Wangchu.

Elaborating further, Tshering said, “We are thankful to Supreme Court of India. After a long fight, the Supreme Court quashed the colonial-era law that criminalised homosexuality. Now we have to convince people in the hill to accept that we can choose our life partner as per our desire.”

And finally, when everyone gathered at the Palzor stadium, they promised to meet soon again in Gangtok and other Northeastern cities, next time for the next parade.