But they’re up against a tough opponent: the ruling government of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which argues that same-sex marriage is a “Western” concept without “any basis” in the constitution. Since then, India’s LGBTQ community – likely one of the world’s largest given its population of 1.4 billion people – has faced widespread marginalization from society. But Victorian laws governing same-sex marriage are one throwback to the colonial past his party has fought to retain. In 2018, after a decade-long battle, the Supreme Court struck down the colonial-era law that criminalized same-sex intercourse – though it left intact the legislation limiting marriage to heterosexual couples. Anand agreed, adding that what started off as a conversation in their home has morphed into a movement that has united India’s LGBTQ community.

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Persons: Aditi Anand, Susan Dias, ” Anand, “, ” Weeks, Dias, Anand, Susan Dias India, ”, Dipa Chakraborty, India’s, –, Narendra Modi, Vivek, Vivek Kishore, Karan Johar, ” Vishwa, Suvir Saran, Saran, ” Saran, Anish Gawde, ” Gawde, ” Vivek, It’s Organizations: CNN, India’s, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Pride, Future Publishing, Bollywood, Pink List Locations: Mumbai, India, India’s British, England, Wales, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Pink List India