Richa Chadha extends support to Pride Month

Mumbai: Actress Richa Chadha has become a part of a special promotional initiative of the US Consulate here to extend support for the Pride Month in India.

A post on the official Instagram account of the US Consulate General in Mumbai, shows Richa posing in a bright yellow ensemble and making a heart gesture with her hands.

Alongside that is a post which reads: "It's 2019! Obsolete ideas of morality, misinformation about LGBTQIA+ must go. By repealing Section 377, India has joined the ranks of other progressive nations in the world. For the common man, there's now a growing understanding that being LGBTQIA+ is normal. But repealing the law on paper and having greater acceptability as an LGBTQIA+ in society are very different things.

"We need to work tirelessly to remove ignorance, misinformation and stigma attached to the community and its choices. Life must be made easier. An open and welcoming approach to the LGBTQIA+ must percolate down to the tier two cities and villages in India, and not stay restricted to the cosmopolitans."

The actress added: "As a society, we must become more inclusive and aware about all genders and their needs. The role of LGBTQIA allies is crucial in this regard, as we can help bring issues of stereotyping and harassment to the notice of people and popular media. We should team up with artists who fight for freedom of expression, against censorship, and also join hands with those fighting for marginalised groups."

Richa was also recently chosen as the face by Humsafar Trust, an NGO for the LGBTQ community, to inaugurate India's first ever holistic medical centre for the people of the community to help them break away from stigmas of general discrimination they may face.