Hugging homophobia away – An Indian campaign takes to the streets

NEW DELHI: Supporters and members of the LGBT community took out a campaign, “Free Hug”, in Connaught Place on Sunday. They marched with placards that read, “I am gay, will you hug me” in a bid to spread the message of equality and acceptance.

Asserting that LGBT people should be seen as normal people, they chanted slogans like “I am gay, please hug me” and “Hugs are harmless”. Many onlookers came forward and hugged the participants as a sign of solidarity.Siddharth Singh, a Delhi University student who took part in the campaign, said the response from the public was encouraging. “I did not expect so many people would actually come forward and hug us. It is a great feeling to be seen as a normal people and not being discriminated just because I have a different sexual orientation. We have our own right to live the way we want,” Singh said.

The campaign that took off on a low note gained momentum later with many people expressing their support for the LGBT community. “It is perfectly normal to be gay and people should understand it. It is not something for which they should be discriminated against. They are taking a great step to make people aware about their sexuality. It is a good initiative to connect with the society, which is slowly responding to their attempt,” said Shadman Alvi, another college student.

Many Sunday revellers were seen cheering to the crowd and acknowledged that there was so much honesty and openness in their discussion about sexuality. “It is good to see people are not shying away and supporting their cause. I would love to join their campaign as a sign of my support for their initiative,” said Ankur Khurana, an IT professional.

When the campaign picked up its pace, people started taking selfies with the participants.

“We never expected such a warm response. The last time we carried out this campaign, comments were hurled at us but this time people are more welcoming. They asked us to take selfies with them. We cannot ask for more. They have shown lots of respect to us,” said Priyansh Dubey, one of the participants in the campaign.

Around 35 people from the LGBT community participated in Sunday’s campaign that was held under the banner, “Queer Hugs-II”.