Earlier, if we’d told someone that two people, of the same sex, got married to each other, people would have freaked out. But, there has been a considerable amount of progress made in the mindset of people in India.
In the past, we’ve witnessed a lot of same-sex couples having their dream wedding in the presence of their family and friends. And recently, Telangana’s first gay wedding happened in Hyderabad with people showering their love on the couple.
Even though same-sex marriages aren’t legally recognized in India, Supriyo Chakraborty (31) and Abhay Dang (34) made their relationship of eight years official by putting a ring on it, reported Times Of India.
Dressed in white tuxes, the couple walked down the aisle and exchanged their vows and rings in Hyderabad as their close friends and family witnessed Telangana’s first gay wedding.
The ceremony was officiated by Sophia David, a friend from Hyderabad, also from the LGBTQ+ community.
The couple had a full-on Indian wedding and amalgamated several Punjabi and Bengali wedding traditions as they got hitched with a ‘promising ceremony’.
“We celebrated it in an informal, yet intimate way without either of our religions or customs coming in the way,” The New Indian Express quoted them saying.
“Mehendi is always a woman-centric ceremony. We wanted to break that stereotype by holding the same for all men at the venue. During Haldi, we wore the Bengali topor (a headgear). Subsequently, a sangeet function was held wherein Kathak performances were given,” said Chakraborty to TOI.
Calling themselves ‘soulmates’, Chakraborty further added, “Ever since we declared our union, we have received mixed reactions from people. At large, people have been very supportive of our relationship and this ceremony was just a celebration of the same.”
He then revealed that they met via a dating app eight years ago and have been dating each other since. It was in early 2021 that they decided to get into matrimony.
“Our parents weren’t initially the most supportive. However, they also didn’t disapprove of it either. They decided to give us and themselves a good amount of time to introspect and come to a better conclusion. Now, we have their acceptance,” he shared.
Through their wedding, the couple wants to normalize LGBTQ relationships. “We hope to live in a world with no closets. The core value of a relationship is acceptance. We should not try to change the other person. I think a relationship stands on the firm grounds of mutual respect and that is something we would never compromise on,” he concluded.
They were finally pronounced, ‘husband and husband’.
Bridegroom Abhay Dange sang his wedding vows to Supriyo Chakraborty, the bridegroom – yes also the groom – at Telangana's first gay wedding.@XpressHyderabad pic.twitter.com/EVoJd6WPew
— The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) December 18, 2021
Many congratulations to the couple. May you continue to spread hope and inspire the likes of you.