On August 16, 2015, SALGA-NYC will be marching in NYC's annual India Day Parade. 2015 marks the sixth year that SALGA-NYC will be marching in the Parade, after being banned from attending for a number of years.
Because we still face immense challenges in our respective South Asian communities, and recognize the Parade may not embrace all communities (across sexual orientation and gender identities, but also religion, class, caste, and region), it is even more important to represent ourselves i...
On August 16, 2015, SALGA-NYC will be marching in NYC's annual India Day Parade. 2015 marks the sixth year that SALGA-NYC will be marching in the Parade, after being banned from attending for a number of years.
Because we still face immense challenges in our respective South Asian communities, and recognize the Parade may not embrace all communities (across sexual orientation and gender identities, but also religion, class, caste, and region), it is even more important to represent ourselves in the Indian community as LGBTQ, South Asian, and Proud!
Please come and march with us to show your support for diversity in our communities. If you'd feel more comfortable wearing a mask during the parade, please join us at our other event "SALGA-NYC Attends: Block Party at The Rubin Museum" on July 19th to make your own free mask to bring with you to the parade! Check out the Facebook event page ( https://www.facebook.com/events/421847334666979/ ) and our website for more details.
When: Sunday, August 16, at 11am
Where: Madison Avenue and 38th Street
What to bring: Water, Comfortable shoes, sunblock, lots of enthusiasm!
For more details, visit http://www.fianynjct.org/india-parade.
READ THIS BEFORE JOINING SALGA-NYC AT THIS WEEKEND'S INDIA DAY PARADE (8/16/15)!
Marchers Meeting Location:
All SALGA-NYC members/allies/family/friends are welcome to march with us, so make sure to meet us by 11am at East 38th St and Madison Ave before the parade begins. Look for the rainbow flag, and/or you can call us at 781-78SALGA. The same people must march from the beginning to end of the parade.
Visibility/ Face Bandanas/ Masks:
We understand that many of our community members may not be able to openly march safely. If you would feel more comfortable wearing something to cover your face, we'll be bringing rainbow bandanas that you can use to tie around your face. Or feel free to bring any other kind of cloth/mask for your use.
Banners/ Flags/ Signs:
We'll be bringing rainbow flags for people to carry, as well as bi and trans flags. We'll also be bringing blank posters and markers for you to show your own desi LGBTQ pride. If you have any Indian flags and any other LGBTQA+ flags please bring them too.
Rules on Participation:
F.I.A. (Federation of Indian Associations of NY, NJ, & CT), who has organized the India Day Parade, has said that "only peaceful marching" is allowed, and anyone engaged in "demonstration or protest" may be asked to leave the parade immediately.
While we believe our presence and expression of LGBTQ pride at the India Day Parade is in itself a powerful statement, we understand if some of our community members may wish to engage in more active and explicit forms of protest, so we want you to be aware of the F.I.A.'s rules.
It should also be noted that if people in our contingent decide to actively protest in a way that the F.I.A. takes issue with, we at SALGA-NYC will try to support you as much as we can. However, we cannot guarantee what the F.I.A.'s response will be, and whether those protesting individuals will be politely asked to leave or if there'll be a more heavy-handed approach involving the police - which could especially impact undocumented persons or those with a temporary immigration status. We ask that you be mindful of such risks, while also expressing yourself and your desi LGBTQ pride in the way you feel is most appropriate and meaningful for you.
Attire:
F.I.A. has stated that they may not allow people with "improper dress" to participate, and that includes clothing like "shorts and sleeveless t-shirts." We recommend wearing either your SALGA-NYC t-shirt (if you have one), a traditional outfit, or any another outfit that you're comfortable with that does not include shorts or no sleeves. If any issues come up on the day of the parade, we at SALGA-NYC will do our best to support our community members/allies if any arbitrary or discriminatory actions are taken against our marchers.
We hope to see you this Sunday! Any questions or concerns, feel free to discuss on our Facebook event page or e-mail mat@salganyc.org.