Our journey to pride

ExpressBuzz.com – Mayur Suresh

The LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) rights movement lays claim to a broad and diverse history. As Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Delhi and Chennai gear up to celebrate LGBT Pride this week (Kolkata’s will be on July 5), it’s a good time to take a quick look at this history.

Many people mark the beginning of the modern LGBT rights movement with Magnus Hirschfeld (1868-1935) – a gay, German-jewish physician. In 1896, he wrote a pamphlet titled Sappho and Socrates or How to Explain the Love of Men and Women for Persons of Their Own Sex? under the pseudonym Th Ramein, which spoke about homosexual love.