Gay rights protest in Delhi, an almost unheard of event

Описание: (29 Jun 2008)
1. Various of gay pride marchers wearing masks and dancing
2. People wearing masks marching and holding placard, reading (English) "Gay Rights Are Human Rights"
3. Mid of transgender dancing
4. Mid of women hugging
5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Pramada, Lesbian rights activist:
"The issue is that, in this country, we place a lot of premium on being heterosexual, we place a lot of premium on marriage. For those of us who want to opt out of that, there is no space. There is no space for articulation of anything where you are talking of sexual minorities, of talking of being a lesbian. So, one (reason for the parade) is a public acknowledgement that we exist, it's not a western phenomenon, and the other is that there is a law which needs to be re-looked at."
6. Marchers wearing masks as seen through multi-coloured flag
7. Close of placard reading "Queer Dilliwalla"
8. Various of marchers carrying multi-coloured flag
9. Pan over people singing songs
10. Marchers carrying various placards
11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sonali Gulati, Lesbian rights activist
"There are people who are forced into marriages, there are people who end up committing suicide. We really desperately need this country, everyone, starting from the house, starting from home, starting from families, to stand up and say 'it's all right, it's ok, we are normal, we're fine'."
12. Tilt down from placard to marcher wearing mask
13. Various of crowd celebrating, singing songs
14. People lighting candles
15. Close of candle being lit and passed on
16. Various of crowd cheering
STORYLINE:
Gay rights protests took place on Sunday in several cities across India, including the capital New Delhi, an almost unheard of event in this deeply conservative country where homosexuality is illegal.
Men wore sparkling saris, women wore rainbow boas and hundreds of protesters chanted for gay rights, in the largest ever display of gay pride in the country.
Gay rights supporters took to the streets of Calcutta, Bangalore and New Delhi to call for an end to discrimination and push for acceptance in a society where intolerance is widespread.
While small groups have marched in the eastern city of Calcutta in recent years, Sunday's events were the first gay pride parades in Bangalore and New Delhi.
Several hundred people turned out at each of the three events.
The marches came just days before the Delhi High Court is expected to hear arguments about overturning a law against homosexual sex that dates to the British colonial era.
The law, which forbids sexual acts "against the order of nature," carries a punishment of up to ten years in prison.
The law is rarely enforced, but activists say it sanctions discrimination.
Despite the festive mood on Sunday, fears of discrimination were felt among the crowds in New Delhi.
Many of the marchers wore rainbow-coloured masks so their friends and families wouldn't know they were gay and many others declined to speak to journalists.
Others were happy to announce themselves and their sexuality to the public.
Sonali Gulati, an independent filmmaker and lesbian rights activist, said, "We really desperately need this country, everyone, starting from the house, starting from home, starting from families, to stand up and say 'it's all right, it's ok, we are normal, we're fine'."
Between the rainbow scarves and feathered crowns, marchers waved signs calling for a repeal of the law banning gay sex, and banners that tweaked nationalist slogans like, "Hetero-Homo Bhai-Bhai," which means gays and straights are brothers.
An estimated 2.5 million people in India are infected with HIV.

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