Bhubaneswar: Hundreds of people belonging to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Asexual (LGBTQA+) community, along with their supporters, assembled here Sunday to take part in the ‘Rainbow Pride Walk.’ The pride walk started from the Housing Board Square and moved towards Shubham Market Complex. The event was co-organised by several LGBTQ and voluntary organistaions of the state including the Odisha Rainbow Collective, Saathii, Sakha, and others. Waving rainbow flags, sporting faces painted with rainbow-hued pride flags, and holding placards demanding equal rights in society, scores of members of the Odisha Rainbow Collective walked and danced during the Rainbow Pride March.
In 2023, prior to the state-level Rainbow Pride Walk, district-level Pride Walks were also organised in Angul, Balangir, Bhadrak, Puri, Sundargarh and Rayagada districts The Rainbow Pride March highlighted the need to respect each other irrespective of gender, colour, and sexual orientation, said the organisers. Apart from Meera Parida, Meghna Sahoo, Sadhna Mishra, Ayesh Behera, Amit Bisoi, and Somesh Kumar, many LGBTIQ+ individuals joined the walk.
ARINDAM GANGULY, OP