LGBTQIA++ members hold Rainbow Pride Walk

Bhubaneswar: The City painted itself with colours of rainbow, as hundreds of people belonging to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual (LGBTQIA++) community, along with their supporters, marched from Master Canteen Square to Shubham Market Complex near Satya Nagar chowk here Sunday. The 13th edition of ‘Bhubaneswar Rainbow Pride Walk’ was organised, in collaboration with several voluntary organistaions, including the Odisha Rainbow Collective, Sakha, SAATHII, Samarth Odisha, Third Gender Welfare Trust, Tarit Foundation, 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 community walked with pride to celebrate diverse gender and sexualities. The pride march highlighted the need to respect every citizen, irrespective of gender, colour and sexual orientation, said the LGBTQIA++ activist Amit Bisoi. “We demand one per cent reservation in jobs for transgender persons. The new government should also create laws to penalise hate crimes against the community members,” Bisoi added.