June is celebrated as Pride Month each year. It began with a riot against police brutality at a small bar called the Stonewall Inn in New York City. Gays, lesbians, and others fought back against police who frequently raided gay bars and harassed the customers.
Back in 1960s, there were laws in the US known as “masquerade” or “cross-dressing” laws. These laws said a person had to wear a certain number of clothing items that matched the gender on their ID. Police used these laws as an excuse to raid bars and arrest transgender and gender non-conforming people.
This sparked struggles for gay liberation and equality. The progress made by LGBTQ+ activists over the last 50 years has been remarkable and has paved the way for important changes in the western societies.
There shouldn’t even be a debate about whether gay and lesbian people deserve to be as free and equal as straight people. Thankfully, today they are.
But is there an event in India comparable to the Stonewall riots? Common sense seems to be overrun by herd mentality, with Western influences adopted in India without considering their relevance.
Historically, Indian society refrained from intervening in people’s sexual preferences. With the Supreme Court’s decriminalization of consensual adult same-sex relations, there is little impetus to advocate for causes that are increasingly linked with nudity and public nuisance in the West.
However, in recent years, Pride Month celebrations have taken the Indian corporate world by storm, even outshining Valentine’s Day festivities.
By June, Pride flags dominate the décor of most corporate offices across India, with virtually every reputable MNC embracing a rainbow-themed makeover.
It seems as though corporate companies have been completely taken over by a foreign army gleefully planting their Pride flags everywhere imaginable.
Major corporate companies like HUL, Tata Steel, Accenture, Deloitte, KPMG, Zomato, Vedanta, and Cummins India marked Pride Month by funding gender reassignment surgery, introducing gender-neutral dress codes, and installing gender-neutral toilets on their campuses.
In June, Pride-themed costumes, cakes, beer bottles, socks, and some even claim undergarments are among the most sought-after items. Because to scream “Pride” is emerging as the hottest fad in corporate India.
In its inception, the Pride movement boldly demanded freedom, disregarding the opinions of the ‘moral majority’ and simply wanting to be left in peace.
Unfortunately, the rightful demand to be ‘left alone’ in liberty has been replaced by an adamant push for validation of their identity and mass celebration of their sexual choices.
Instead of celebrating someone for their achievements, the Pride movement advocates celebrating individuals simply for something as obnoxious as ‘who one sleeps with’ or the way they are ‘born.’
But the moot question is why sexual preference should be seen as an accomplishment. It’s simply how, and with whom, you have sex. Nothing more. If one wants to be proud, shouldn’t they do something worth being proud of?
Is sex the whole of you or your existence? But if you ask this question in corporate circles, be prepared to be branded as homophobic and bigot.
This movement is penchant for labelling people. They reduce individuals to their labels instead of seeing their personality.
Should being a minority, whether in sexual orientation or race, shield anyone from criticism, or should it be the reason to elevate someone to a special status.
Now, the tables have turned! Nowadays, it’s the critics who are persecuted, not the homosexuals.
You don’t have to be anti-gay now, damned you are if you aren’t pro-gay. Just as being sympathetic to Palestine won’t suffice, only when you are anti-Israel, you are truly liberal.
Be prepared for harsh moral and ethical scrutiny if you have even the slightest hesitation in displaying a Pride badge on your chest or rainbow Pride-socks that don’t satisfy your fashion sense.
“If you wouldn’t walk in a Pride Month march than f- you, f- you for not supporting us.” These messages are so ubiquitous on social media platforms. How sane are they?
One of my friends humorously quipped, “This is like establishing a global North Korean state without ever firing a single shot.”
Contrast their response to the Pride flag with their reaction to the frenzy of waving Indian flags on India-Pakistan match day, and they will label you as a jingoist.
Wave the Pride flag and you’ll be adored. In our identitarian era, self-pride is the only acceptable form. National pride is deemed criminal, and pride in culture or history is suspect.
Many corporate employees see it as a small price to pay to come across as rational and virtuous, rather than risking their careers by asking obvious questions.
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