Gay Today: World

Friendship Walk Celebrates
India's First Gay Pride Event

By Rex Wockner
International News Report

Fifteen gays staged a Friendship Walk July 2 in Calcutta, India, visiting the offices of various non-governmental and community- based organizations to teach them "about the significance of the Stonewall Riots."

The walk -- the nation's first gay-pride event -- was organized by LGBT India, an umbrella group of homosexual organizations.

"Our goal was clearly not to create any tensions in the already fragmented society that we live in," said LGBT India Convener Owais Khan.

"It was rather to provide a healing touch to the wider Indian community by integrating Indians through love."

Gay leader Ashok Row Kavi commented:

"Between 30 and 50 million men and women with same-sex attraction cannot be wished away or denied their right of freedom to love each other.

"Calcutta had been chosen because it was a city where revolutions started. What Bengal thinks and does today, the rest of India takes up tomorrow.

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"Besides, Calcutta is the home of the Indian renaissance from Raja Ram Mohan Roy onwards. We have come here to renew the tradition."

LGBT India can be reached via lgbt_india@hotmail.com.