Dear All, This is a little 'gloat' moment, when we can sit back in the Delhi Pride Committee and give ourselves a little pat in the back that there is something that we have done right over the years. Namely we have told NO to sponsors (Corporate, NGO, Gay-Business, self serving busybodies, and others). The fact that we have a OPEN system where everybody can participate (or not, their choice), can take on responsibilities, and can delegate duties collectively is one of the best things about this pride.
Over the years, there have been increasing pressure to change this as we seem to have a waiting list of sponsors who'd love to come in with their money and banners to show their solidarity and partake of the pink rupee pie. In our wisdom we have resisted so far, and what is happening at the San Francisco Pride (Yes, the mother pride of them all), gives us good reason to believe that we are on the right track. Small is beautiful for sure in this case. If by lack of sponsors Delhi Pride remains a smallish affair with intimate participation, so be it. Last year the organisers of the SF Pride had declared that Chelsea (Then Bradley) manning would be honoured in the pride with a special float and declared her Grand Marshall of Pride. The corporate monies that bankroll pride, kicked back furiously, lest the federal administration of the democrats turn fasci on them and cut off their balls. Within days the decision was reversed and to make up for a bad choice, Manning was crowned National Traitor no.1. The Gay community of SF observed and did not like this. This weekend there were elections for 7 vacancies on the Board. A pro-Chelsea Manning slate opposing the corporatization of Pride ran, and won majorities for 6 out of the 7 seats. Then, in a raucous 9-hour meeting, the existing Board, no doubt egged on by their alarmed corporate backers, decided that actually nobody was elected, because they unilaterally reinterpreted their own election bylaws in a completely insane way. Apparently they wanted "No" votes against candidates to count twice, saying in effect that every 'No' vote also cancels out a 'Yes' vote. I am sure the time will come soon when the community will ask the logical sequel to that decision, namely why every "Yes" vote should not similarly cancel a "No" vote? Thus democracy was queered twice within the year in the land of the free. I have a feeling that this victory following a constitutional coup, is temporary, for the spirit of the LGBT community that is the real mover of pride will not take a slap to their faces by the big monies, lying down. Things will likely get messy before they get well. But after that they will most probably start thinking in terms of what we have been saying back here in our 3rd world corner for years. That the community matters more than the sponsors who supposedly bankroll community events. This is a good thing for us to learn from and not go rogue for the money. To keep Pride open and free for all. To dare the big monies to come in as non entities, if they are true about their conviction towards LGBT support. Find a Bay Area Reporter Edit that summarises the drama in Frisco below: http://ebar.com/blogs/sf-pride-board-members-endorse-themselves/ Best regards, Aditya Bondyopadhyay -- -- ADITYA BONDYOPADHYAY Development Sector Consultant Advocate (Regd. No. F-218/192 of 1997, Bar Council of W.Bengal, India) Website: http://adityabondyopadhyay.webs.com/ ================================ Notice to all recipients: Communication not intended for you but reaching you inadvertently needs to be treated as confidential and destroyed or deleted immediately. Use of such communication in a manner prejudicial to the interest of Aditya Bondyopadhyay and/or his principals, and/or his clients, and/or his agents respectively, may attract legal proceedings which may be of a civil or criminal nature. Aditya Bondyopadhyay and/or his principals, and/or his clients, and/or his agents respectively cannot be held liable or accountable for any and every communication reaching out through this email account that is an unaltered forward of another communication received by this email account, or a referred source available on the internet and accessible to the public.
