Beyond the Parade: 8 Ways to Celebrate Pride Across India This June
Every June, the world blooms a little brighter — not just in colour, but in courage. Across India, from sun-dappled coasts to bustling city squares, Lgbtq+ fest Month is not merely a celebration; it’s a reminder. A reminder that love, in all its forms, deserves to be seen, heard, and cherished.
But beyond the rainbow flags and joyous marches lies something even deeper: the quiet power of belonging. For someone taking their first tentative steps out of the closet, or an ally eager to listen and learn, these gatherings are more than events — they are lifelines. They are where stories are shared, hands are held, and futures are rewritten, one clasp, one song, one parade at a time.
This June, whether you’re part of the LGBTQIA+ community or a steadfast ally, here’s your invitation to be part of something bigger. From film festivals to art exhibitions, Pride in India is calling — not just to rejoice, but to connect, to heal, and to erect a future that holds space for everyone.
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Here are seven events where you can find that spark — and maybe, in the most unexpected of moments, find yourself.
1. Step into
Pride Month Special: India's Superior 10 LGBTQ Friendly Destinations
June is the Identity festival monthand we thought of dedicating a post to the LGBT travel society and enthusiasts. With the SCOTUS legalizing same-sex marriage across the United States, we are ever-hopeful that one day, even our country will see the Parliament bathed in rainbow colours.Despite the recent judgment by Indian Supreme Court criminalizing homosexuality and upholding a draconian law, the country is fast changing its stance on the ‘queer’ issue.
The Indian democracy is trying very hard to come out of the closet.
Pride parades, queer production festivals, special tour operators for the gay collective and the ever growing LGBT populace are popular indicators of the fact that Indians have more acceptingattitude towards the issue at hand. As a travel destination website, we want everyone to possess a great holiday wherever they go, and so we came up with a list of must-visit places for LGBT touristsplanning to explore India.
Here goes!
1. Mumbai
Bandra Worli Sea Link (Source)
Mumbai can be safely termed as India’s most progressive city. It is home to Bollywood
LGBTQ+: India’s first Pride parade which made history
Owais Khan
Pride parades in India today are vibrant affairs, where thousands gather to convey themselves and offer back to the queer group. But things were very different in 1999, when the country's first Movement walk was organised in the eastern state of West Bengal. Journalist Sandip Roy revisits the trailblazing event.
On 2 July 1999, Pawan Dhall, a gay rights activist in Kolkata city, was among the 15 intrepid marchers to participate in what was later called the first Pride walk in India.
The event was timed to coincide with global celebrations marking 30 years of the Stonewall riots in New York which sparked the LGBTQ+ movement in the US.
But July is monsoon season in India, and the 15 marchers in their custom-made bright yellow t-shirts with pink triangles were soon soaked to the bone.
"It was more of a wade than a walk," Mr Dhall says.
The marchers also did not call the event a Pride pride, instead going for the more innocuous-sounding "Friendship Walk" to avoid trouble.
In 1999, homosexuality was still criminalised in the territory - a Victorian relic in
2024 Workplace Pride India Conference
Download the Declaration of India
Declaration of India for an LGBTQ Inclusive Workplace
March 21st, 2024
Preamble:
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: ‘All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights’.
These ethics should apply equally to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual , Intersex, Queer and their Allies [+] (LGBTIQ+) people in their private lives and in working environments. On September 6th, 2018 The Indian Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Section 377 of the Indian Constitution is unconstitutional thus legalising homosexuality in India. This ruling has position the stage for uninterrupted reforms that will impact communities and workplaces for years to come.
It is difficult to right a wrong by history. But we can set the course for the future. This case involves much more than decriminalising homosexuality. It is about people wanting to live with dignity.
—Indian Supreme Court Head Justice Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud
Despite the progress on the judicial front, a 2023 survey by Deloitte* has shown that 34% of LGBTQ+** people in India say concerns about their personal safety are a b