'Delhi Queer Pride' will be a public celebration by lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders (LGBT) and intersexed communities, said Arif Jafar, head of Naaz Foundation's Lucknow chapter.

"This year it will be held on June 28. The entire community can gather as it will be a Sunday," Jafar said.

"It is our celebration. It is about loving who we are, whether lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, eunuch or straight, and affirming everyone's right to be respected for their own sexuality and identity. It's a celebration of our diversity and an acknowledgment that this diversity is a gift," he said.

The three-hour celebration will take off at 5.30 pm from Barakhamba Road before concluding at Jantar Mantar.

The Queer Pride event dates back to an early morning of June 29, 1969 when police in New York City raided a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn. The gay men and drag queens refused to be cowed down and fought back.

The Stonewall riots lasted for five days and from then on became a symbol of queer pride and resistance to oppression of the community.

"In India, LGBT people face harassment from police. Lesbians are subject to violence, forced into marriage and even driven to commit suicide by their families. Gay men are blackmailed and raped by organised rackets that often involve police," said Aditya Bandhopadhyay, a Supreme Court lawyer.

"Same sex couples who have lived together for years cannot buy a house together or will their property to each other without being challenged by their families," said Bandhopadhyay.

"This is because Section 377 of IPC treats LGBT people as criminals. It has been used to arrest, prosecute, terrorise and blackmail sexual minorities. It has produced public hatred and abuse, forcing millions of LGBT people to live in fear and silence at tragic cost to themselves and their families."