Awadh Queer Pride is an annual event held in Lucknow, India. [1] [2] It was first held on 9 April 2017, and in the years since has also been held in February and March. [3] [4] It is organized by the Awadh Queer Pride Committee (AQPC), which is made up of volunteers. [2] [5]
Awadh Queer Pride was inspired by the first Pride Parade in India, Kolkata Pride, on 2 July 1999. [3] [6]
The event began with a pride parade in 2017, which was organized by members of the city’s LGBTQIA+ community and led by Darvesh Singh Yadvendra. [3] [7] The parade was attended by approximately 300 people, including heterosexual allies and parents of LGBTQIA+ individuals. [3] [8] The walk started from Sikandar Bagh and continued for 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) until terminating at Hazratganj. [7]
Approximately 400 people attended the second Awadh Queer Pride Walk in 2018. [9]
In 2021, actresses Ridhi Dogra and Monica Dogra were invited to the event due to their work on the show The Married Woman. [10]
Homosexuality in India is socially permitted by most of the traditional native philosophies of the nation, and legal rights continue to be advanced in mainstream politics and regional politics. Homosexual cohabitation is also legally permitted and comes with some legal protections and rights.
The NYC Pride March is an annual event celebrating the LGBTQ community in New York City. The largest pride parade and the largest pride event in the world, the NYC Pride March attracts tens of thousands of participants and millions of sidewalk spectators each June, and carries spiritual and historical significance for the worldwide LGBTQIA+ community and its advocates. Entertainer Madonna stated in 2024, "Aside from my birthday, New York Pride is the most important day of the year." The route through Lower Manhattan traverses south on Fifth Avenue, through Greenwich Village, passing the Stonewall National Monument, site of the June 1969 riots that launched the modern movement for LGBTQ+ rights.
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