Tezpur experiences first Queer Pride Walk
Tezpur experienced its 1st Queer Pride Walk on 23rd September as around 250 people gathered at Church Field and walked through Ganesh Ghat, Chitralekha Udyan and back to Church Field. The theme for this year’s Pride Walk was “Demanding Gender Neutral Uniforms or Uniforms of choice in Educational Institutions”. Queer Pride or LGBTQIA Pride walk is a pride and protest walk for and by the Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Asexual and all queer people and allies to celebrate love and human rights. Tezpur Queer Pride Committee organised the pride walk for the first time in Tezpur to respect, recognise and envision gender inclusive approach in every individual, institution and policy framework. It is an initiative to bring Pride Walks out of mainstream cities and provide accessibility to people residing in smaller towns as well.
“This walk is in celebration of gender and sexual diversity, resisting all forms of human rights and gender based violence and discrimination. We demand gender equity, access to all socio-economic support provided for the most vulnerable persons across gender spectrum and equal opportunities in education, employment, skill building and entrepreneurship facilities”, says a member of the Tezpur Queer Pride Organising Committee.
The queer community in Tezpur require acceptance and assurance from their families and society at large with regard to their chosen identity. This is the reason the issues of gender neutral toilet and choice based gender neutral uniforms in all institutions, workplaces and public spaces have been raised at the Pride Walk. As quoted by the members of the Tezpur Queer Pride Organising Committee, “We rise in our hope for a gender diverse, inclusive and solidarity based society. We thank all supporters, allies and community people in this journey.”
