In a historic first in the Indian state of Telangana, two men solemnized their relationship in a wedding ceremony on Saturday, December 18.
The grooms, Abhay Dange and Supriyo Chakraborty, became the first gay couple to get married in the state, even as the country’s law does not yet recognize same-sex marriages. For them, the ‘promising ceremony’ was more about acceptance than about validation, reported The New Indian Express.
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Dange, 34, was seen singing the Bollywood classic ‘Aaye ho mere zindagi mein tum bahar banke!’ to his bridegroom as they exchanged their vows. The wedding was attended by more than 60 guests comprising of close friends and family.
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The couple had made their wedding announcement in October, causing instant buzz and anticipation.
“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,” Chakraborty told The New Indian Express.
Interestingly, the two of them also belong to different cultures. While Chakraborty is a Bengali, Dange is a Punjabi.
“We celebrated it in an informal, yet intimate way without either of our religions or customs coming in the way,” they shared. The wedding was officiated by Sophia David, also from the LGBTQ community.
Despite the landmark judgment by the Supreme Court that decriminalised homosexuality in 2018, same-sex marriage continues to be illegal in India. Multiple petitions have been filed to initiate legal reform and recognize these unions, but things are yet to change on that end.
Through their wedding, Chakraborty and Dange hope to inspire others like themselves to come out and seek happiness as they did.
“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,” said Chakraborty.
