At Chennai Pride, the personal meets the political

Slogans and placards of clever political quips brightened up the streets of Chennai’s Egmore on June 30, as about 5,000 people came together for the 16th annual Self-Respect Rainbow Pride March, organised by the Tamil Rainbow Coalition.

The event marked the end of June, which is also Pride Month, a commemoration of the contributions made to the LGBTQIA+ struggle by queer individuals across history, as well as the existing community in the city.

For many attendees, Pride march was a celebration, an opportunity to revisit familiar faces within the community and find new ones, a moment to express queer pride and solidarity through the outlets of fashion, performance, and more.

The event was chock full of signs with messages that made heads turn for different reasons, ranging from ‘Neutrality in the face of oppression is complicity’ to ‘Out of the closet, into your mom’s heart’.

“To me, Pride is the event that best captures the intersection of personhood and politics,” says Shravan*, 21, a freelance journalist from Chennai, “but I think palpable elements of Pride marches, like the outfits and the funny signs, tend to take away from its political aspects. Pride has always been, at its core, a protest,” they said.

Political expression at Pride marches have taken a turn in other metropolitan cities such as Mumbai. Colour Positive, the NGO that organises Mumbai’s Pride parades, has indicated that signs and slogans that are deemed “irrelevant” to the queer cause are not allowed at the event.

“We recognise that identities are intersectional and people are impacted by a variety of oppressions not limited to gender identity and sexuality”, says L Ramakrishnan, a member of SAATHII, the public health NGO which has been a co-organiser with the Tamil Nadu Rainbow Coalition since its inception. The coalition has allowed for the advocacy of various causes including animal rights, Palestine, and in solidarity with the survivors of Orlando’s Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016.

While the sentiments of solidarity expressed at the event extended worldwide, the music and performances kept the proceedings rooted in Chennai. Speakers across the crowd blared old-school Tamil music while parai attam performers grooved along to the beats of their drums, an integral part of Tamil tradition.

“It’s great that Indian culture is somehow taking centrestage at an event that is typically considered a product of western influence. I love that (the Pride march experience) is a melting pot,” says Amudhini, 22, a participant who works at a PR firm in Chennai.

In fact, the Tamil language was instrumental in reframing the concept of queer pride in the context of Chennai. “‘Pride’ translates to the word ‘perumai’ in Tamil, which was a term many people did not use in the queer context,” says C Moulee, founder of LGBT literary organisation Queer Chennai Chronicles.

“Pride is about dignity, self respect, and assertion, in the context of LGBT rights. And for me, the Self Respect Movement, founded by Periyar, also meant the same thing,” he said.

The march was initially referred to as the Chennai Rainbow March, but Moulee’s suggestion has led it to being known as the Chennai Vaanavil Suyamariyadhai Perani, or the Chennai Rainbow Self-Respect March, since 2015. This move was not holistically well-received.

“The Self Respect Movement is predominantly associated with the anti-caste movement, and people have different feelings towards it. They believed that (an LGBT Pride March) is not the place to bring in caste,” said Moulee.

The Pride march has become an integral space for all kinds of expression, whether it be political placards or presenting oneself in a way that deviates from the norm, according to Moon, 24, a Sociology student from Loyola College. “There were definitely some amused reactions from the people living (in the area), but that’s alright, in my opinion. The exposure and visibility (that Pride marches bring) are really important to normalise and humanise our existence in a city like Chennai,” they said.

*Name changed as per request