Pune to witness 2nd queer pride parade on Dec 9

Following the success of the first-ever lesbian, gay, bisexualand transgender (LGBT) pride parade held in the city last year, the Samapathik Trust is all geared to hold the second queer parade on December 9.

"Since the last year's pride parade, we are getting around 2-3 phone calls on our helpline everyday. Besides, several people have approached us for counselling. Callers mostly ask questions like ‘I am gay and is it ok?' or ‘My parents have decided my marriage, what should I do?' We not only counsel individuals from the LGBT community, but also their parents," said Bindumadhav Khire, president of the trust.

A Colourful march: A participant holds the flag at the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) pride parade that was held in the city last year. File Pic

He added that most of the time, callers ask the counsellors to inform their parents about their sexuality. "However, in some cases they face rejection, as their parents are unable to come to terms with the fact. This leads to depression," Khiresaid.

He added that this years pride parade would be aimed at creating awareness and breaking the stereotype image of gays, which is portrayed in our films and TV serials.

"Apart from being rejected from society, gays face various health problems as well. Though this pride march will try to clear the misconceptions about the LGBT community," Khire said.u00a0

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