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Activists at India's Pride Parade Hope Narendra Modi's Government Will Repeal Gay Sex Ban

The country's Supreme Court reinstated the colonial-era law, which had been scrapped by a lower court, after ruling that only parliament could revoke it.
Image via Reuters.

Hundreds of brightly dressed revelers paraded through the streets of New Delhi on Sunday in India's first LGBT pride day since the Supreme Court banned gay sex.

The marchers — who carried balloons and a rainbow banner and danced to the beat of an Indian drum — were demanding an end to the discrimination and reactionary laws against homosexuality in the country, AP reported.

India's Supreme Court last year revived a colonial-era law making same-sex intercourse punishable by 10 years in prison--so marchers treated this year's pride parade as a call to action to reverse the decision.

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"We have to come together to fight," gay rights activist Hilol Dutta told AP during the parade. "We should win this case and claim our right to live with dignity."

It's a start. 1240 million inhabitants… 'Hundreds march in New Delhi for gay pride — Joeri Boom (@joeri__boom)November 30, 2014

"If God hates gays why are we so cute," read a placard waved by one protester above the rainbow-wigged crowd, a YouTube video showed.

"Our rights are being violated, because we're not being allowed to live as we want," another protester in a golden dress asserted in the video.

The New Delhi march followed another pride parade of about 2,000 in Bangalore, southern India, the Gay Star News reported. The city of Ahmedabad, in the state of Gujarat, also held a march on Monday, to coincide with World Aids Day.

India's Supreme Court reinstated the country's ban on gay sex last December, and refused an appeal for a review of the decision earlier this year.

It had thrown out a 2009 ruling by a lower court that had repealed the law on the basis that it was a matter for the parliament. But many citizens have little faith that their conservative prime minister will allow such legislation to pass.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not commented on the law, but his home minister, Rajnath Singh, called same-sex relations "unnatural" following the December Supreme Court ruling, Reuters reported.

Just this month, the government also decided to ban a video game from the country for including gay sexual scenes.

One placard showed the face of the prime minister painted in rainbow colours with the caption "I love Amit Shah", a reference to the president of Modi's party. Image via Reuters.

Still, some marchers on Sunday said they had faith Modi would do the right thing to help LGBT individuals. One placard depicted the face of the prime minister painted in the rainbow colours of the LGBT movement, with the caption "I love Amit Shah" — referring to the president of Modi's Bharatiya Janata party.

"Modi is a wise person," one LGBT activist told Reuters. "I don't know whether he'll support or not support, but he's not going to do anything which is going to harm any Indian citizen's right,"