Himachal Pride Walks

We still remember glimpses of our very first Queer Pride Walk in Himachal Pradesh on December 15, 2022, in our very own Palampur. It was our way of exhibiting cultural resistance and reclaiming the streets of the spaces where we walked as different beings, in efforts to fit in.

History was recreated this year as we marched on the streets of Kullu on June 19, 2022 and we expressed ourselves with Kullu Nivasis. As usual, women, particularly queer women were on the forefront.

As a team, we have observed something very important. Our interactions with women, especially during our awareness initiatives have always been smooth and extremely enriching. Maybe it is that common sense of being oppressed due to an identity location. Maybe this relatability to understanding oppressive power structures brings us closer.

We must thank Tenzin Dhaadon from Hara Collective and Nikita Thakur from Happy Captain's Foundation for arranging all the logistics and getting permissions on our behalf in Kullu. This collaboration is one of the glimpses of intersectional solidarity. They are proud allies and it meant a big deal to them and the entire queer community in Kullu to make that space as we marched down the streets of that district.

We also held a dialogue on the eve of Kullu PRIDE. Youngsters gathered at this venue in the main town, where we took a session in our aim to understand Gender, Sexuality, what PRIDE is and what it stands for. Possibly, this acted as a huge catalyst to the huge number of youth who joined us the next day on the streets of Kullu.

Himachal Queer Foundation hosted Himachal Pradesh's first Queer Pride Walk on December 15, 2022 in Palampur, HP. Pride Walk holds a lot of significance in these spaces where there is no dialogue about LGBTQIA+ communities. For us, it was nothing short of cultural resistance. PRIDE started as a movement to reclaim one's fundamental rights and express one's queerness as something not to be hidden/scared of. This initiative created a safe space in Himachal for the first time where youth from near and far off towns, villages and cities travelled for hours to join us as we walked down the streets of Palampur. This historic walk also told us that Himachal Pradesh is ready to have dialogues regarding Queer-Trans* lives.