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"It's not like there are no queer or trans persons in small towns. Can someone say that there are singers and actors only in big cities?" says 28-year-old Kajal, as she sits down for an interview with The Quint, alongside her 22-year-old partner, Bhavna.
"I come from a small town in Haryana. She comes from a small town in Punjab. We are there. There are others just like us, but they don't come out," adds Bhavna.
They are now living in a small town in north India, but have been constantly on the move, after being denied basic rights owing to their relationship. They reflect on why the right to marriage is not an 'urban-elitist' idea, as contended by the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre.
Bhavna first became friends with Kajal on Facebook in 2018, after she was introduced as her cousin's friend. They kept exchanging messages, but the first time they met in person, sparks flew.
But growing up queer in a small town in India was not easy.
"Relationships matter. People's thinking should change. We have stayed in Delhi, we have also stayed in a small town in Punjab. But just that there's no one in the big cities, and there's no one in the smaller towns, who have the knowledge to support queer couples," Bhavna added.
"People ask us if we are sisters. Where do I hit my head? I look nothing like her, and sometimes, I feel very bad when they say such things. People don't even assume that we are roommates, they just think that we are sisters," says Bhavna.
There are so many couples like them in smaller towns, they add.
As the couple await the Supreme Court verdict, they cannot help but dream about their wedding day.
An excited Bhavna tells The Quint, "I want to wear a lehenga and chuda. She will dress up however I ask her to."
Completing her sentence, Kajal adds: "Whichever ceremonies we go to, she selects my clothes, my style. I am a blank paper, and she can write whatever she wants on it – and that will be right."
(This was first published on 17 May 2023. It has been republished from The Quint's archives in light of Supreme Court verdict on same-sex marriage pleas on 17 October.)
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Published: 17 May 2023,06:00 PM IST