1 September 2018 marked the third time that the city of Bhubaneshwar witnessed a queer Pride parade. The 2018 Bhubaneshwar Pride was put together by three organisations – SAATHII, an NGO working for the cause of HIV-AIDS care and LGBTIQ rights, Sakha, which is run by Meera Parida and is an indigenous trans collective that has been supported by the Odisha government, and The Parichay Collective, an LGBQ community in Odisha. The Pride organisers said that a Pride march was essential to foster a spirit of community and visibility for the queer community in Odisha, where tier II cities like Bhubaneshwar did not display much awareness about the LGBTQ+ community. The focus of the Pride was not just visibility, but also intersectionality and inclusion. An organiser was quoted as saying, "This Pride will not only address the LGBTQIA problems but also the general constructs of the society like shame, untouchability, class bias and sex discrimination within and outside the community and the majority deciding what is best for minorities."
