Delhi Drenched in Rainbow Hues: Love, Emotions, & Colour at Queer Pride 2023

Dancing to drums and music, the participants walked for more than three hours to Jantar Mantar on 26 November.

Dancing to drums and music, the participants walked for more than three hours to reach Jantar Mantar.

(Photo Credit: Ribhu Chatterjee/The Quint)

The LGBTQIA+ community took out the 2023 Queer Pride Parade in Delhi on Sunday, 26 November. The march began at Barakhamba and concluded at Jantar Mantar.

Dancing to drums and music, the participants walked for more than three hours to reach Jantar Mantar, holding banners reading "Equality for all" and "Queer and proud" slogans.

This is Anshu (he/him), a 27-year-old, for whom this is the fourth Pride march. Anshu identifies as a gay person.

He said that his most favourite part about Pride is the "freedom to express myself."

Smiles and hugs were a typical sight at the Pride march, as were the rainbow hues.

Gaurav Dhangar, 22, is an Aligarh native.

When asked about her outfit, she said, "The lehenga-chol is a union of soul and body for me."

A person with their face painted 'Trans and Proud.'

The Delhi Queer Pride Parade, which had over 1,000 participants, comes just over a month after the Supreme Court denied legal recognition to same-sex marriages in India.

Pulkit Mishra, who identifies as bi-romantic gay, says, "Pride is a place where I can proudly come in any outfit or make-up and not be judged."

Today, Pulkit is dressed as an androgynous bride and has come to fight for marriage equality.

Zigmee Bhatia and Lucky Sharma are two queer friends who also have hearing disability. The communicate in sign language with each other.

Love, emotions, and colours of Delhi Pride 2023.

Tanzeel Ahmed (they/them) is 26 years old and hails from Lucknow. 

They have been going to Pride marches since 2008.

"I am dressed as Ganji Chudail by Majedar Kahani and I chose this because I want it to make the government listen to our voice in some form. If I pretend to be a witch, they may listen to me," Tanzeel said.

The LGBTQIA+ community took out the 2023 Queer Pride Parade in Delhi on Sunday, 26 November.

Dancing to drums and music, the participants walked for more than three hours to reach Jantar Mantar, holding banners reading "Equality for all" and "Queer and proud" slogans.

The Delhi Queer Pride Parade, which had over 1,000 participants, comes just over a month after the Supreme Court denied legal recognition to same-sex marriages in India.