Police Distribute Roses To Marchers In Pune’s Third Gay Pride

Pune celebrated its third queer pride parade with over 150 people participating. The November 24 event, organized by the Samapathik Trust, was attended by queer people, not just from the city, but also from other remote districts.

The pride march began at 11 am at the Pune Sarvajanik Sabha with the lighting of the lamp. The march was led by Sonal Giani and other members of the Umang Trust in an attempt to highlight the lesbian, bisexual and transmen sections of the queer population and make them more visible.

However, the highlight of the event was the support extended by the city police, in particular the cops at the Faraskhana police station. The police officers under Inspector Bhanupratap Barge distributed roses to the queer pride, signaling an offer of friendly cooperation with the queer population.

The pride also saw the participation of CBOs from the Hingoli district, organizations working against HIV/AIDS infection, child abuse and NGOs dealing with women’s issues.

(Picture courtesy Deepak Kashyap)