Montréal Pride has been committed to the fight against injustice around the globe since 2010.
This year, the country they have chosen to support is India, where the rights of LGBT communities remain unrecognised.
Members of the Montréal Pride team will visit Mumbai and Delhi from May 18 to 30 to take part in discussions on the advancement of human rights.
Among others, they will meet with the director of KASHISH, the Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, Sridhar Rangayan who has been included on the British Council’s fiveFilms4freedom 2016 Global List of 33 inspiring people from around the world who use culture to promote equality and LGBT rights.
The filmmaker and activist will also be one of the Grand Marshals for Montréal Pride 2016.
The team at Montréal Pride began its humanitarian missions in 2010 with a first trip to Latvia. Then came Cameroon in 2011, France in 2012 (before Marriage for Everyone), Poland in 2013, Serbia in 2014 and Ukraine in 2015.
Strengthened by these successes, the tradition now continues with India, where homosexuality is still largely taboo and where LGBT communities are the victims of discrimination and violence.
On July 2, 2009 an important milestone was reached with the Delhi High Court’s declaration that Section 377, the law which criminalises homosexuality, is unconstitutional.
It had then been determined that the law violates the fundamental rights of Indians. However, the Supreme Court overturned that decision on December 11, 2013, reinstating the validity of Section 377. The Supreme Court is currently debating this discriminatory section of legislation.
In addition to the visit, India will be honoured at the 10th edition of Montréal Pride who will showcase the country’s rich and diverse culture as part of the festival’s programming.
Scheduled for this summer are a Bollywood-style extravaganza and a screening of the The Pink Mirror, a film by Sridhar Rangayan, which was banned in India for exploring themes such as drag queens and transsexuality.
Montréal Pride President Éric Pineault, said: “We want to inspire the communities of the world who live with injustice by going to meet them and by using our festival to exercise a positive influence on the international scene. We want to send a forward-looking message of hope to all those who are deprived of their rights and freedoms.”
Founded in 2007 at the initiative of Montréal’s LGBT communities, Montréal Pride is now the largest LGBT gathering in the Francophone world and will celebrate its 10th edition in 2016. A multifaceted cultural festival, Montréal Pride offers more than 125 activities that include something for everyone over the course of seven days.
Active all year long, the organisation’s primary mission is to support and promote local LGBT communities while serving as a beacon of hope for people around the world who continue to battle injustice.
This year, Montréal Pride will take place from August 8-14 attracting 500,000 local and international visitors to the city.
For more information about Montréal Pride, click here:
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