Telangana: Gay couple enter into wedlock, say it has sent out a message

Hyderabad, Dec 20: Touted as the 'first' wedding of gay men in Telangana, Supriyo Chakraborty and Abhay Dang, entered into wedlock making their nearly decade-long relationship official.

Supriyo said the wedding has sent out a strong message to everybody that no one's permission was needed to be happy. The gay men are believed to be first gay couple of Telangana. Though the marriage could not be registered, the ceremony was sheer celebration of being together along with family and friends, he added.

Supriyo and Abhay aged 31 and 34 respectively, exchanged rings and took vows at a marriage ceremony that took place in a resort near here on Saturday. The ceremony was officiated by gay couple's friend Sophia David, who is also from the LGBTQ community.

On the occasion, the gay men celebrated their togetherness with close friends and family members. Supriyo told PTI: "It was a two-day (December 17 and 18) event. It was an event where all our close friends and families were there. We started with Mehndi and Sangeet. Me and Abhay are from different states. He (Abhay) is Punjabi and I am Bengali. We tried to put in all the essence possible...including the dresses we were wearing. On Saturday we had a Haldi ceremony and Sophia David officated our wedding."

Supriyo and Abhay, professionals in hospitality and information technology sectors respectively, met through an online dating app in 2012 and have been living together since then.

Supriyo said the wedding celebrations was to "celebrate our union," with friends and family. Once the same sex marriages are legalised in the country they would register their wedding, he said.