(27 Nov 2011) GAY PRIDE MARCH HELD IN INDIAN CAPITAL OF NEW DELHI
Hundreds of participants from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities marched through central Delhi on Sunday to celebrate India's annual Gay Pride march.
Participants came out on the streets wearing masks, holding placards and dancing to drumbeats in a huge street party.
Participants also demanded an end to discrimination and violence against the gay community.
"This is about celebrating peoples' right to be open, to be who they are, to live freely and without fear of prejudice and discrimination and that's the spirit of pride everywhere," said Nancy Nicol, a Canadian tourist taking part in the parade.
In spite of a Delhi High Court ruling in 2009 that struck down section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that made sex between people of the same gender punishable by up to 10 years in prison, harassment of the gay community continues.
That ruling has since been challenged in the Supreme Court of India which is yet to give its decision on the matter.
The gay community in India face a long battle to gain acceptance, social and legal, in a deeply conservative country where even heterosexual sex is talked about in hushed tones.
However, homosexuality is slowly gaining acceptance in some parts of India, especially in its big cities.
Many bars have gay nights, and some high-profile Bollywood films have dealt with gay issues.
This was the fourth gay pride parade in Delhi. Such parades have taken place in other Indian cities too.
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