June is celebrated as Pride Month in the United States with events lined up throghout the month including pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia, and concerts. Keeping the spirit alive, the US Consulate in Mumbai is also holding pride events in the city throughout June, and the events are open for the general public as well. “The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals in their local communities, nationally, and internationally,” a Consulate member said in an email.
As part of the celebrations, a virtual conversation with representatives from the Human Rights Campaign was held to discuss the impact of LGBT activism in the upcoming U.S. Presidential election on 3rd of June. The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve LGBT equality.
The next event is lined up for June 10th and is being held in conjunction with India’s largest live storytelling organization, Tall Tales. The event is titled “Celebrating Diversity: True LGBT Stories” and will feature live, first-person, true stories told by everyday people. The event starts at 7 pm.
June 14th will see screening of “Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine” from 5:30 pm and will be followed by an interactive session over the web with the film’s director, Michele Josue, Matthew Shepard’s mother Judy Shepard who is an LGBT rights advocate, and the U.S. State Department Special Envoy for Sexual Rights, Randy Berry.
While all the events are free and open for public, attendees must RSVP to mumbaipublicaffairs@state.gov and will also have to bring a photo ID for security check up.
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