LGBT activists march for workplace rights
PUNE: “I am gay, that’s ok! I am lesbian, that’s ok!” These were the slogans that reverberated through the two busy streets of Deccan area in Pune during a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) pride march on Sunday.
The sixth edition of the Pune Pride Walk, with ‘Inclusivity at the Workplace’ as its theme, received a rousing response despite a bad weather. In a first such instance, even representatives of multi-national companies took part in the march to express solidarity with the LGBT cause. “Rain or no rain, I would not have missed the walk,” said 31-year-old Ron, a gay call centre employee.
The participants at the march, which started from Sambhaji Park on JM Road, were armed with rainbow flags, masks, banners and posters announcing their rights. Many of them alleged that members of the LGBT community faced harassment because of their sexual orientation.
Expressing his support to the cause, Dwight Cook — representative for Symantec — said, “The company is participating in the march for the first time. By doing this, we want to send out the message that we support inclusivity at workplace.”
Thoughtworks called Naina Udupi — a transgender employee — all the way from Bangalore to attend the march.
This year, thousands of LGBT activists and their supporters took out parades to seek a nondiscriminatory workspace environment.
“As more and more lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgenders come out in the open, companies should undertake proactive initiatives and establish a policy of non-discrimination at the workplace,” said Bindumadhav Khire, president of the Samapathik Trust, which organises the march every year.
Vaishali Gunakikar of IBM said, “Many companies have come forward to ensure a harassment-free workplace for its employees, irrespective of their sexual orientation. IBM, which has always stood for inclusivity of LGBTs, has decided to stand in solidarity with this community.”