Marching Through Time-Queer Resistance in North Campus

6th September, 2025 4th Annual Campus Pride

In collaboration with the English Literary Society, Miranda House

When you first sit down to trace the history of queer resistance in this pocket of Delhi, the first thing that you must do is understand why. The rhetoric often used to negate the existence of queerness relegates it to the status of a Western, foreign influence. When a core component of your identity is branded as something alien, the sense of dysregulation from society that a lot of queer persons already face becomes harder to cope with. A community therefore needs a history rooted in the familiar to thrive. 

In this quest of belongingness, you  delve into the sparse records of news reports, and the first thing you notice is that all records begin in 2014. The existence of queerness in North Campus likely dates back to decades before, but official records are conflicting, or worse, nonexistent. There is no database of queer alumni that you can draw from, no real luck on that front. What you can do is trace the history of pride parades and call your investigation ‘marching through time.’ 

While organizations like Delhi Queer Pride have existed as early as 2008, the expanse of this article aims to tackle our own corner of Delhi. The Delhi University Queer Collective came into existence in 2014 in response to the recriminalization of homosexuality under Section 377. It provided a forum of dissent and discourse around queer rights and gave the community a recognizable presence on campus. This unique, activism based formation of a community is embedded in the student body that represents it. The need for pride to be political is non-negotiable.

The first pride was a riot, and that tradition keeps repeating itself in the annals of queer resistance in North Campus, University of Delhi. While 2015 might feel recent, it spans a decade of progress that we now celebrate today. The first official recognition of queer resistance finds its roots in the opposition to the 2013 women at workplace act, which left men and queer individuals unprotected. This protest came to include the general opposition of homophobia, but the roots of pride were still fledglings on campus. 

By 2017, the Women Development Cells and Gender Sensitization Cells begin their conception across Delhi University campuses. Miranda House became a pioneer, holding a comprehensive Gender Mela with speakers such as Kamla Bhasin in attendance. In 2017, DUQC also saw a revival and began holding sensitization sessions, beginning with Ramjas. 

The first pride parade began at the behest of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at  IIT Delhi, and spanned the expanse of North Campus, starting at St. Stephens and coming to a halt at Hansraj. Held in January 2018, it celebrated coming out and the inclusion of queer individuals on campus. In September 2018, with the decriminalization of homosexuality, queer collectives in North Campus began popping up. Miranda House was the first Queer Collective to be formed, and helped other colleges on campus in setting up their own. The collective still boasts a rich history of solidarity and proactive advocacy.

In 2023, with the discourse on same sex marriage in national news, the students led several marches and candle vigils to affirm the existence of the community in the face of several attempts to erase it. 

In 2022, the first campus pride parade took place at the initiative of DUQC and SFI, in a grand show of solidarity within our student body. This tradition continues today, with 6th September 2025 marking the fourth annual pride parade on campus. 

For Mirandians, the parade began in Heritage Hall, at the behest of Arcoiris, the revived Queer Collective of Miranda House and SFI Miranda House. Under a handmade pride flag, the students proceeded to the Faculty of Arts for the Campus Pride Parade, their voices thunderous. With the beats of the tambourine, so ingrained in the student conscience as a symbol of resistance, Miranda House led the parade through rain and heat. The students demanded freedom, the recognition of queer rights, women’s rights, and raised their voices in solidarity with Palestine. 

The growth of this community has been exponential considering its relative youth. However, it still faces a lot of resistance from existing systems. The Campus Pride Parade of 2025 saw a considerable police presence and limited access to the campus at large. Colleges with established queer communities like Zakir Hussain still struggle to get approval for an official queer collective. Daulat Ram College has established an unofficial queer collective despite the lack of recognition from the college administration. Jesus and Mary College had to hold their queer community meetings off campus during its conception. The Miranda House Queer Collective had been on a hiatus since 2023, and revived only recently with the current academic session.

As you look back on your own queer history, what sticks out to you? What fits into the broader archive of resistance? When your identity itself is political, resistance becomes your first language.

With your own history now at your disposal, do you see your campus differently? To know the struggle that persists in the heart of Delhi University is to know your roots. You too are from North Campus, and you are so welcome to join in its iridescence.

When I look back at my journey of becoming, I thank my luck for ending up in Miranda House. The strong feminist foundation left behind by those who came before us echoes in any actions we choose to take today. Queerness is natural within its walls, it’s celebrated-and for hundreds like me, that is a luxury beyond comprehension. With the return of Arcoiris, the Queer Collective of Miranda House, the community feels whole again. North Campus gave me my first pride, and I hope it helps you regain yours. Until then, so much love.

Written by Yashi Sharma, 2nd Year, English Hons