Back in 2019, Yash went to the Delhi Pride Parade but left early because he didn’t want anyone to take his pictures and post them online for the world to know that he’s gay. He hadn’t come out to his parents yet.
But on May 2020, a relative of his family revealed to his mother that he was gay. Yash is the eldest of three sons and his mother Meenakshi would break into tears thinking that it’s her fault that he isn’t straight, reported Times Now.
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His father Deepak, on the other hand, isn’t as expressive (like Indian dads usually are) but he was concerned for Yash’s safety. When he first got to know about his sexual orientation, he asked, “‘Are you fine? Are you safe?”, and then kindly went on to say, “We are sorry that we were not there.”
Yash’s grandmother, surprisingly, was much more aware than his mother, Meenakshi, as she reads a lot of newspapers and back in 2018 when section 377 (that criminalized sexual acts between two individuals of the same sex) was abrogated, she had read all about the LGBTQ+ community in newspapers.
So it was the grandmother who played an important role in educating Meenakshi. The family would often sit together and watch LGTBQ-friendly films like Badhaai Do, Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, etc. Soon, Yash’s family became more accepting of his identity and supported him like like a rock.
“I was 21 when my parents found out. If I had denied it, they would have been in denial too. I thought that if they accept the truth, it would be easier for me to accept who I am,” Yash said.
His father Deepak didn’t ask anything directly but one day he told Yash’s grandmother that Yash won’t be marrying a girl, and he didn’t say it with any ounce of shame. Instead, he was proud of it.
This year in the Delhi Pride Parade, Yash was present unafraid of who might think what. He is 24 years old now and he clicked several pictures with his friends, members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community. What’s even more touching is that his mother Meenakshi, who is now 41 years old, also attended the parade in support of his son.
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The Pride Parade had taken place on January 8 where hundreds of people marched from Barakhamba Road to Jantar Mantar, coloured in rainbows.
“My parents accept me. I wanted them to attend the Pride parade to see if they’d be able to accept other people of different identities from the community,” Yash told Times Now.
Meenakshi was awestruck at seeing so many people in the parade. She asked, “There are so many people? We put them in a closet?”
She also met his friends from the community and could see the sadness in their eyes as unlike her, their parents weren’t accepting of their sexual orientation.
“Why do we forget our children because of our beliefs? I could feel their pain. They look happy on the outside but they are suffering because they don’t have the support of their family. They need the love and support of their parents. If you don’t provide it, they may end up leaving their homes. We should not ask our kids to leave our homes. Where will they go?” Meenakshi said.
Kudos to her for deprogramming her entire belief system and coming in support of her son and those from the LGBTQ+ community. We hope more parents are encouraged by her.