It seems like it was only yesterday that Deccan’s JM Road donned many hues, in spirit and literally, as it hosted Pune’s 2016 queer

pride march

on August 7 last year. But the seventh edition, that will be held on June 11, has a special agenda. Themed around ‘Acceptance by families of

LGBTQ

persons’, it aims to stress on the importance of support from straight allies.

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Bindumadhav Khire, LGBTQ rights activist and president of Samapathik Trust that organises the pride march every year, says, “Queer individuals, if and when they want to, choose to come out to a family member, friend, or someone they trust. NGOs and support systems are important, but what’s more crucial is the love and acceptance they look for from immediate family and friends. This forms a key foundation for the rest of their lives. For this year’s parade, we’ve decided to honour this acceptance by our straight allies.”IT professional, Souvik Ghosh , who is involved with the planning and execution of the parade, clarifies, “We’ve always sought and celebrated the support we receive from straight allies, but we’ve reached a stage now where the movement is no longer about the LGBT community alone.”Souvik, who also led the march as grand marshal last year, adds, “The purpose now is to show society that we have the support of our non-LGBT allies, which explains the theme.” In keeping with the theme, this year’s march will witness a non-LGBT group leading the way. Bindumadhav says, “Till now, we’ve had a single person from the community leading as grand marshal; but this year, a group of straight allies (parents, siblings, relatives and friends) will hold the parade flag.” Pune’s inaugural pride march was the last time a non-community member led the march.Several MNCs turned up to show their support at last year’s pride march which was dedicated to addressing homophobia at workplaces. “We look forward to larger participation from companies and straight allies this year as well. We’ll be reaching out to more companies and colleges ahead of the march,” says Bindumadhav, signing off.